BERLIN, Feb 17 (Reuters) - More than 80 actors, directors and other artists who have taken part in the Berlin Film Festival, including Tilda Swinton and Javier Bardem, signed an open letter to the organisers published on Tuesday calling for them to take a clear stance on Israel's war in Gaza.

"We call on the Berlinale to fulfil its moral duty and clearly state its opposition to Israel's genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes against Palestinians," said the open letter, which was published in full in entertainment industry magazine Variety.

By Matt Spetalnick, Olivia Le Poidevin and Parisa Hafezi

WASHINGTON/GENEVA/DUBAI, Feb 17 (Reuters) - Even for a U.S. president long fixated on deal-making, Donald Trump’s assignment of his favorite envoys to juggle two sets of negotiations – the Iranian nuclear standoff and Russia’s war in Ukraine - in a single day in Geneva has left many in the foreign policy world scratching their heads.

More than 80 film industry figures including Oscar-winning actors Javier Bardem and Tilda Swinton issued a statement on Tuesday slamming the Berlin Film Festival's "silence" on Gaza.

The signatories to the open letter, sent to AFP, said they were "appalled" by the festival's "institutional silence" and "dismayed" at its "involvement in censoring artists who oppose Israel's ongoing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza".

ANKARA, Feb 17 (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday that Israel's recognition of the breakaway Republic of Somaliland would not benefit Somaliland or the region.

In December, Erdogan had said Israel's decision to formally recognise Somaliland, a northern region that declared itself independent in 1991, was illegal and unacceptable, and he accused Israel of trying to destabilise the Horn of Africa.

By Olivia Le Poidevin

GENEVA, Feb 17 (Reuters) - An independent United Nations body on Tuesday condemned what it described as vicious attacks based on disinformation by several European ministers against the organisation's special rapporteur for Palestine, Francesca Albanese.

In the past week several European countries, including Germany, France and Italy, called for Albanese’s resignation over her alleged criticism of Israel. Albanese, an Italian lawyer, denies making the remarks.

By Laila Bassam and Tala Ramadan

DUBAI, Feb 17 (Reuters) - Armed group Hezbollah rejected on Tuesday the Lebanese government's decision to grant the army at least four months to advance the second phase of a nationwide disarmament plan, saying it would not accept what it sees as a move serving Israel.

Lebanon's cabinet tasked the army in August 2025 with drawing up and beginning to implement a plan to bring all armed groups' weapons under state control, a bid aimed primarily at disarming Hezbollah after its devastating war with Israel in 2024.

Feb 17 (Reuters) - Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani arrived in Venezuela on Tuesday, where he was greeted by Foreign Minister Yvan Gil, images on state television showed.

Neither government has given a scheduleor other information on the visit, but Qatar has long served as an intermediary between the United States and Venezuela and aided negotiations between the Venezuelan government and the opposition.

(Reporting by Reuters)

By Mohammad Yunus Yawar

KABUL, Feb 17 (Reuters) - Afghanistan's Taliban government said on Tuesday it had released three Pakistani soldiers captured during border clashes in October, in a move mediated by Saudi Arabia amid strained ties and a prolonged frontier closure between the two neighbours.

The release comes months after the worst cross-border fighting since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. Dozens were killed in October clashes, after which both sides agreed to a fragile ceasefire but failed to secure a longer-term political understanding.

By Angelo Amante

ROME, Feb 17 (Reuters) - Italy's opposition groups criticised a government plan to attend the inaugural meeting of U.S. President Donald Trump's Board of Peace this week, saying on Tuesday that the body undermined the United Nations and ran counter to international law.

The group is scheduled to meet in Washington on Thursday for the first time since it was established in January, to discuss reconstruction plans for Gaza. Delegations from more than 20 countries are due to attend.

Iranians shouted slogans against the leader of the Islamic republic on Tuesday as they gathered to commemorate protesters killed in a crackdown on nationwide demonstrations that rights groups said left thousands dead, according to videos verified by AFP.

The country's clerical authorities also staged a commemoration in the capital Tehran to mark the 40th day since the deaths at the peak of the protests on January 8 and 9, in line with Shiite mourning tradition.