Xinhua world news summary at 1530 GMT, Oct. 17

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced early Monday the beginning of a major offensive to retake the second largest Iraqi city of Mosul from the Islamic State (IS) group, national TV channel Al Iraqiya reported.

"Today I declare the launch of the operation of liberating Nineveh province. The time of victory has come, and the moment of the great victory is approaching," Abadi said in his brief address broadcast by Al Iraqiya. (Iraq-Mosul-Offensive)

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MOSCOW -- Moscow will make a "symmetrical" response if Washington decides to impose new sanctions on Russia, a senior Russian diplomat said on Monday amid escalating tensions between the two powers over the Syria settlement.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Riabkov was quoted by the RIA Novosti news agency as saying that "no hostile actions against Russia will be left without a response." (Russia-U.S.-Ties)

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MOSCOW -- The British authorities have failed to prove the involvement of Russian military in attacks against civilians in the Syrian city of Aleppo, reported Russian media Monday, citing Russian Ambassador to Britain.

Last week, members of the British parliament accused Russia, along with the Syrian government, of deliberately striking against civilians in Syria, which British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson termed as "war crimes." (Russia-UK-Syria)

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KIEV -- A senior military commander of independence-seeking insurgents in eastern Ukraine was killed late Sunday in an explosion in Donetsk, according to local media reports.

Arseny Pavlov, 33, nicknamed "Motorola", was killed when an improvised explosive device went off in the elevator of his apartment building, said the insurgent-run DAN news agency. (Ukraine-Insurgent Commander) Endi