Are celebrating the arrival of a very rare baby giraffe. This six foot tall youngster, who is yet to be named, arrived on boxing day. The Rothschild Giraffe is said to be one of the most endangered species of the animal, with fewer than 1600 left in the wild. Time for the weather. I will stick my neck out and say its been a pretty decent day. A bit of a breeze associated with this northerly weather stream. Further south, some for grief forming. Some fog reforming. At the same time, the rain becoming heavier cross the north of the uk. Relatively mild, 78d, north of the uk. Relatively mild, 7 8d, cold again across east anglia and the south east. The fog could be slow to clear across east anglia and the south east. Lots more cloud in comparison to today. Some breaks in the cloud, maybe to the east of higher ground. Had she rain or drizzle to the west, the rain quite heavy at times in the north of Scotla Nd Heavy At Times in the north of scotland but mild. Another chilly one for east anglia and the south east. Hello. This is bbc news with reeta chakra barti. The headlines Vladimir Putin has announced a ceasefire between the Syrian Regime and the Armed Opposition. The russian president said that both sides had signed documents to start fresh peace talks. Translation the first document between the Syrian Government and Armed Opposition on sissy show and fire. The second document is a set of measures on control over the seas by regime. Singin In The Rain star Debbie Reynolds has died aged 84 after suffering a stroke, just a day after the death of her daughter, carrie fisher. The head of the Royal College of gps has warned that patients could be waiting more than a month to see a doctor this winter. Nhs england says its boosting funding for the sector. The government says its investing an extra £21; billion. Two men have been found dead at a flat in st austell. Devon and Cornwall Police are treating the deaths as unexplained. Now on bbc news, a series of stories about shakespeares impact across the globe. The web of our life is of a mingled yarn, good and ill together. Theyre here, in chinese, russian,japanese, hindi, but the impact of shakespeares works around the world can be proven in more than just 1,000 translations. He was born right here, right inside this house in stratford upon avon. In the 1600s thats about a 3 day horse ride from london and in this Quintessentially English scene, Hundreds Of Stories have unfolded that have resonated the world over for the past four centuries. Well tell five such Amazing Stories from influentialfigures in china, south africa, lebanon, india and the uk. But theres a difference. For the people youre about to hear from, sha kespeares influence is more than a touchstone for universal experiences. His stories relate to specific events in their everyday lives. In a moment well head to china where we hear about the power of the once forbidden shakespeare. But first we go to south africa where actor Doctorjohn Kani Talks about the danger of playing 0thello during apartheid. Arise, black vengeance, from thy hollow cell. Even today, 0thello still makes people uncomfortable. The story of The Black General turned murderer through jealousy tackles racism head on. I was fully aware of the risk of playing this part in apartheid south africa. But in 1987, when i was offered the role, i could not refuse. She loved me for the dangers i had passed. And i loved her that she did pity them. This only is the witchcraft i have used. It was an opportunity to bring the relationship between Black And White to the stage. I remember that when we walked out the audience shouted at us as we kissed on the stage. The struggle against apartheid was bitter and violent. Dozens lost their lives. During the rehearsals there was a tense atmosphere. But 0thello at the Market Theatre opened to rave reviews. 119911, i was 51 years when i voted for the first time in my life. I still walk about with those 51 years of horror. Things have changed in south africa. 0thello is a play which is woven into the struggle for equality in south africa. When we look at shakespeare he affirms in us the equality of all human beings. Black, white, male, female. Let husbands know their wives have sense like them, they see and smell and have their palates both for sweet and sour, as husbands have. 0ver these 22 years of our democracy, i look back at where weve come from. Have we done enough to make a society which has space for 0thello and desdemona were they wont be persecuted . But words are words, i never yet did hear that the bruised heart was pierced through the ears. Despite wanting to be a nonracial society, i dont think were there yet. This is sometimes my fear in 0thello, that iago, the villain, his fate is unclear. Desdemona is murdered, 0thello kills himself but iago is arrested and taken away. That bothers me. That somehow shakespeare leaves racism alive. But i have hope. It was at a moment in 1987 i realised the power of the arts, the power of theatre, as a force for change. Over the years many celebrated actors have come here to stratford, shakespeares home, to perform his plays but it was while performing his greatest Tragedy Thousands of miles away that a bollywood actor came to identify with one of his most troubled characters. We know what we are but know not what we may be. As a divorced bollywood actress living in mumbai, lifes a balancing act. Between being famous and wanting a personal life, being seen as sexy while retaining my dignity. And india both applauds and castigates me. Near the beginning of William Shakespeares most famous tragedy, hamlet, we are introduced to ophelia. Shes an innocent, chaste girl, and potential spouse for the prince of denmark. Yet ophelia struggles with the conflict of being her brothers sweet sister, and hamlets breeder of sinners. This is the dilemma facing indias women. We are all modern 0phelias. By some, we are expected to be traditional and pure. I shall obey, my lord. While by others, we are encouraged to be independent and sultry. Lady, shall i lie in your lap . No, my lord. Do you think i meant country matters . There is conflict and confusion in our minds. And these pressures can become unbearable. A social worker abused by men blames herself and takes her own life. Another is raped and killed on a delhi bus. She is questioned for what she is wearing, and shamed for being out late at night. For ophelia, it becomes quite impossible for her not to disappoint all the men in her life. It ends in her suicide. God has given you one face, and you make yourselves another. Music breathe me by sia. These women died because they were caught between desire and expectation. I do enjoy the dazzling glare of bollywood, but sometimes i dont know who im supposed to be. In hamlet, i cant ignore the agony of ophelia. Just as we cant ignore the tragedies unfolding around us every day. In indian society, there are limitations. But there is liberation too. Im hopeful for an ophelia who doesnt drown in the river, but swims strongly to the other side. Oh, woe is me to have seen what i have seen. See what i see. Sha kespeares plays may be written in words, but in a moment, well hear how it was the imagery and themes that chimed with a dance group during the lebanon civil war. Next, though, it is the qualities of his language that enable a deaf musician to hear. Chimes your tales, sir, would cure deafness. When it comes to the works of william shakespeare, ifind myself seeing his tales through sounds. Its a subject close to my heart, as i am a musician whojust happens to be profoundly deaf. When i read the tempest, the words positively shout sound to me. Shakespeare entices us into the play using sound to colour his characters. Waves crash the play is a vibrant mix of noises and sounds of the land and sea and wind and sun. To cry to the sea that roared to us, to sigh to the winds whose pity, sighing back again, did us but loving wrong. Lines like these take me back to my homeland in aberdeenshire, where a walk on the cliffs would force me to face the wind so that i could feel the sound on my cheeks. I have found a way to substitute my hearing loss. I immerse myself into the senses within my skin, bones and muscles. Im tempted to replicate Sound Colours from the play through my Percussion Instruments as i hear the words spoken by the characters. In the plotting between antonio and sebastian, i feel the breath of whispers in the night. Here lies your brother, no better than the earth he lies upon. There is drama in the tales of storms and drowning. I saw him beat the surges under him and ride upon their backs. He trod the water whose enmity he flung aside. Anxiety builds and pounds upon my chest cavity until ariel sings a warning. Shake off, slumber, and beware awake, awake. Perhaps the use of Sound Colours is what we most enjoy as the play unfolds. I wonder if shakespeare knew what i have discovered that the whole body can hear . Sometimes a Thousand Twangling Instruments will hum about my ears. Come now. What masks, what dances shall we have . Music Plays Caracalla is a family, a Dance Company that unites in a country that has seen too much conflict and pain. My father, who founded caracalla almost 15 years ago, always believed that shakespeare spent his so called missing years in the middle east. We really recognise his voice in lebanon. Hold six, seven, eight. In 1990, during the final months of the civil war, fighting forced the company from our homes. As a family, we retreated from beirut and travelled up into the chouf mountains. So it was here in the mountain palace of beit ed dine with explosions and gunfire just a short drive away that we devised our legendary Dance Production of shakespeares midsummer nights dream. Confined by war, the palace provided a haven for caracalla, while the barouk forest, a place of inspiration. Out of this wood, do not desire to go. Thou shalt remain here whether thou wilt or no. Here in the forest, we could forget about conflict. What better place to recreate our midsummer nights dream . To transport shakespeares tale of love and magic into dance, we found the thread of the story, inspired by these trees. Words became movements. In our production, barouk is our mystical forest, and the fairies are enchanted genies. Their mischief causes chaos. Lord, what fools these mortals be. In lebanon today, for meddling fairies we have political leaders. We are merely their playthings. When the Company Finally performed midsummer nights dream in the summer of 1990, it heralded a time of peace. Like the works of shakespeare, dance is a magical language. And its how we can change our reality. Are you sure that we are awake . It seems to me that yet we sleep, we dream. Aaron i continue to marvel at the power of shakespeare 400 years after his death. As the films illustrate, it always appears possible to tie the issues of the modern world to his works, whether in tragedy or comedy, good times or bad. This is why the world continues to live shakespeare. And this, our life, exempt from public haunt, finds tongues in trees and books in running brooks. Sermons and stones and good in everything. I would not change it. To find out more about the essays featured in this series, go to the website follow the links to the Open University and the british council. Hello and good evening. The sun has just set on what was a cold but right dave for large parts of the united kingdom. This is a view from the shropshire, lovely blue sky but down in the valley, some Fog Lingering into the afternoon. A pretty decent day across central, eastern and southern parts of the uk. Towards the north and west, war cloud and a bit more of a breeze. Eventually some rain showing up in the west and north west of scotland. By the west and north west of scotland. By the end of the night, the rain more noticeable. Fog thickening in the midlands. By the end of the night, patches of fog in the midlands, east anglia and the south east of england. Cold as well, temperatures a degree or so either side of freezing in the south east. Further west, not quite so called but a lot of cloud. Not much rain. Could be some low cloud, quite great conditions. Fog in east anglia and the south east could be problematic. The extent that the gold to summarise at the moment. Not too much in the way of cloud for Northern England, mild in northern ireland, getting into double figures. Quite windy, the South West Wind bringing in milderairand quite wet for the north and west. This Weather Front will be with you for some time. Patchy rain and drizzle for the western coasts and hills, but further east breaks in the cloud, sunshine coming through. Still chilly in the south east, Fog Lingering, with the south west breeze, in the north and west, double figures. New years eve, that Weather Front still there across scotland, edging south, getting into northern ireland. Patchy rain for the west of england, try on new years eve, not quite so called in the london area. Towards midnight, that whether Fund Clearing from scotla nd that whether Fund Clearing from scotland and northern ireland, moving south into Northern England and north wales. In the south, relatively mild, about eight agrees, to the north of that, turning colder, that thing continuing into the new year. Weatherfront colder, that thing continuing into the new year. Weather front heading south, cold are following behind. All the way from the arctic, as we get into new years day, expect some lower temperatures and some snow showers, mainly in the north of scotland. This is bbc news. The headlines at 5. The russian president announces a Ceasefire Deal between the Syrian Government and opposition groups to come into force at midnight. Translation the documents have been signed. There is an agreement on the start of peace talks. Stars pay tribute to hollywood actress, Debbie Reynolds, whos died, aged 84, just a day after the death of her daughter, carrie fisher. The Royal College of gps warns that patients could be forced to wait more than a month to see their doctor this winter. Devon and Cornwall Police investigate the discovery of the bodies of two men at a flat in st austell. Detectives are treating the deaths as unexplained. Also the birds migrating earlier as Global Temperatures rise