all this is bbc news. the headlines: tens of thousands of protesters have gathered in georgia's capital, tbilisi, for a second day, over the controversial foreign agents law which the government says will root out people working against the interests of georgia, but critics say could crack down on any sort of opposition. the usjustice department has said that a domestic police force, louiville police department, used routine discrimination, illegal searches and excessive force, while investigating the killing of a black woman in 2020. the uk prime minister is defending asylum reform plans, including banning anyone arriving in a small boat

from being able to claim asylum or seek citizenship. rishi sunak said his government is "on the side "of the british people." the opposition called it a gimmick. following on from their momentous win at last summer's women's football euros, england's lionesses team are celebrating another victory. they've persuaded the uk government to put more money into sport for girls. the plans were announced on international women's day and mean girls at schools in england will be offered the chance to play football and have the opportunity of at least two hours of pe every week. here's our sports correspondent natalie pirks. england! commentator: england, european champions! - it was a moment english football will never forget. but the next day, despite bleary eyes, the team were laser focused on their next target — ensuring equal access to sport for school girls. one, two, three! (whistle)

today, on international women's day, the prime minister granted their wish. we are passionate about a lasting legacy, and the next generation of football for girls especially, but it's exciting times ahead, and hopefully there are girls who can take over from us and dojust even better. fantastic football players, but so much more than that, their consciousness, that social conscience, and trying to have a positive impact on society has brought us where we are today. with a two—year cash injection, the government wants all english primary schools to achieve sport gender equality, and to commit to a minimum of two hours of pe a week. these figures illustrate why. 72% of girls play as much football as boys in primary school, but by the time they reach secondary school, that figure drops to 41%. only 46% of all schools offer girls the same access

to football, via after—school clubs, and figures released last week show there is an enjoyment gap — more than two million fewer women who enjoy getting active, compared to men. a lot of that is down to experiences in school. it feels really brilliant, because just knowing that everyone is equal is, like, really important. i'm really glad, because i think everyone should be equal and get the same amount of sport. a note of caution, though — the department for education has ploughed billions of taxpayer cash into ringfenced pe funding in the last ten years, with little scrutiny of actual spend and impact. just how will they ensure schools now deliver on their big promise? it is potentially wonderful news for all primary schools in receipt of the funding. the important thing — the devil is in the detail. we need ofsted to scrutinise what schools do thoroughly, which they have not done since september 2019. by helping to remove barriers for future players, the lionesses have shown they are not afraid to fight for their legacy.

are you all ready to go and be our next generation of football stars? yeah! now the government must hold up their side of the bargain. now on bbc news: he was trafficked to the uk as a child but is now an nfl star for the washington commanders. the story of efe obada: against all odds. honestly, the way i got into the nfl was a miracle. london is definitely still home for me, 100%. do you still head back to your old haunts? i still do, yeah. one, two, three. defence. let's go. the more people to see your story, the more inspiration that gets people to think that to themselves, i'm just like efe. i can do exactly what he did. the road to the nfl is well—travelled, but littered with pitfalls and broken dreams.

typically, thatjourney begins age five or six and encompasses high school and college, before a select few reached the promised land. efe obada's route wasn't like many who've gone before, but then again, his story is farfrom typical. hisjourney to america's biggest show began age 20. far from the glitz and glamour in south london. one of my friends, josh hastings, played american football for the warriors and he saw my size. we were similar built. we went to college together. and at the time, he was, he was very skinny. he's very modern. and when i saw him again, you know, he had some size on him. and he told me that he was playing american football and i would be a good fit. so i went down and i thought nothing of it. like, honestly, it was the first time seeing helmets and pads and all these things. it was very strange. like, i never saw... i've never seen anything like that in south london. i think i knocked someone on the ground, thought i did something wrong. everybody was cheering and happy and it was just that, embrace and that, you know, ok,

well, if i can, if i do this and i can be physical, and that kind of what's drawn me to it. obada's progress was rapid and he became the first player to go straight from the european football league to the nfl. but reaching the pinnacle is one thing, staying there, another thing entirely. after spells in dallas, kansas city and atlanta, the breakthrough came in charlotte. from there, the journey continued in buffalo and ultimately washington. the average nfl career lasts a little more than three years, and as an outsider, that battle for acceptance can be long and arduous. it took me a while. it took me a while, because initially it was, ok, i'm in a different country, different culture. then it's like i'm playing a sport that i've never played before. and not only am i navigating real life in a different country, i'm also trying to learn a different sport and train my body and this different lifestyle as an athlete, learn the different languages and the terminologies and just learn the rules of the game. so it took me a while and then

alsojust being thrust into that limelight and it just, i didn't understand how huge that was, how huge the nfl was. so it took me a while. there were days where i felt like i didn't belong. i had imposter syndromejust because the knocks that i had early in my career, you know, i didn't have success off the bat. lots of rejection, lots of fighting and having to claw and stay around and just keep knocking at the door and keep improving. and, you know, there was a time where i was out of the league for a year and i wanted to go to canada and, you know, just try to develop. so that plays on your confidence and especially when you don't know the game, you're getting your arse kicked every day, you know, and it's that mental fortitude to kind of stick with it, you know, that, you know, it's going to pay off eventually. so yeah, it took me a long time to get comfortable and even to some degree i'm not comfortable. i'm still learning. every year it brings new challenges and you know, and new lessons. osi umenyiora is one

of britain's nfl pioneers. drafted in 2003, having played high school and college football, he knows just how hard it is to make it to the professional game. you've got to think, it's a sport that the entire country loves, the entire country is crazy about, everybody wants to play the game. so they've been playing that game since they were four or five, six years old over there. so it's a very, very difficult, difficult sport to play, very competitive. even getting into the college game is extremely competitive. so what about reaching the nfl, having not played football in your formative years? highly improbable. but the good thing about somebody like efe, he's an outstanding athlete. that's the good thing. and that's the the main differentiating factor between the nfl and a lot of other sports is, if you have an extreme level of athleticism, size, intelligence, you can translate and make it to the game rather quickly. and this is... all these things play to efe's advantage. in the context of obada's life, fighting for a place in pro football is just another obstacle that's been overcome. born in warri, nigeria,

0bada left the country of his birth with his sister, age five or six, and moved to the netherlands, where he remembers meeting his mother for the first time. at ten, he and his sister were trafficked to the uk and abandoned. the pair were looked after by a security guard in hackney before social services took them in. from there they moved from home to home, never truly settling and endured no end of hardship. how much do you remember of your early days in this country? just, just a normal... just normal kids, really, just going to school, wanting to go college, university, playing outside, you know, it'sjust regularstuff, really. how much of what happened to you in those early days, do you think shaped who you are as a person now? i thinkjust the, in terms of growing up in foster care, just the instability and just uncertainty of where, you know, just not having a place to go home. i feel like it translates in terms of being in the nfl. just the fact that there's just

this level of uncertainty. you can play. you can be on one team with this moment. you can be on another team, you know, living out of a suitcase, you know? and that's, that's something i still do right now. you know, it's just this global lifestyle that i have and just being comfortable and being uncomfortable, i guess. were you angry about your situation when you were growing up? those situations i definitely was angry and i was frustrated. but myjourney isn't, you know, isn't uncommon. and a lot of people that i grew up around, a lot of friends of mine in similar situations, i'm very fortunate that i was able to have the opportunities that i was presented and made the most of them. for me, the people that were around me had similar situations. there was an understanding, you know, or their parents were in similar situations, you know, so there was, there was this level of understanding. so itjust felt normal to me, you know, it'sjust what it was, you know, the cards that i was dealt. but it wasn't until i got into the nfl and just, you know, all of us started seeing different environments and different, and having different conversations, that i was able to kind of look

back and understand that, well, this part of my life wasn't normal. going through this wasn't normal. these things that i've normalised and just deemed, you know, it wasn't normal. a lot of people find solace in sport. was that the case for you? initially, yeah, it was. it was this outlet of frustration and allowed me to be physical, allowed me to exert my anger and frustration of my situation or lack of opportunities that ihad. itjust kind of led to something amazing, you know, that afforded me a great life and it allowed me the opportunity to give back and have an impact in my community. under pressure - and down he goes! and 0bada with the sack for washington. - i heard you on a podcast saying that you've been running away from something in your life, which i found is interesting because of your role in american football is defensive and you're always running towards something. have you ever worked out what it is you're running from?

i think the lack of opportunities, you know, the frustration just of where i was an immigrant, couldn't work, couldn't further my education, you know, the area i grew up, the people that were around me. there's only a certain amount of options that you have. and given those, those cards, you know, and eventually you're just going to get pulled in a certain direction. and that's kind of what i was running away from, because in my heart, that's not really who i am. and your environment kind of turns you into someone else or, you know, just so you can survive, so you can provide. and i think that's what i was running away from. so given the opportunity, like the nfl, something so big like that, i was able to, like, i didn't even have a passport before the nfl, you know, and i was able to get me on a plane. even when i was in a practice squad, i was making really good money that i was able to send back home. and i was like, you know, i'm going to hold on to this because i know what's waiting for me, i know. and that's not what i want for myself.

while you identify as british, thus far, you've been unable to get a british passport, which must be incredibly frustrating. it was frustrating. i was in foster care and you know, when i was a minor, they were supposed to sort it out for me. and my immigration and my papers. but i did fall through the cracks. they didn't sort it out. i aged out. you know, rules changed. and unfortunately, i wasn't able to get it. and i'm still fighting to get it. and although i do feel british, it's still, i still feel like it's a country that just kind of doesn't, you know, accept me. but, you know, hopefully, you know, with time, i'll be able to get that. and then that can be just a part of my life that's just, that'll be behind me. does it hurt, that feeling of not being accepted, given the fact you do so much? a little bit. but, you know, that's, these are the crosses and these are hurdles that i have to overcome and i have to bear. i have a lot of empathy because, like i said, i grew up around people in similar situations and are still in similar situations, probably have more of a right to be in the country than i do because of the amount

of years they've been in this country, but still are struggling and fighting and, you know, going through solicitors and having to, you know, just adjust based on the rules and changes that happened in the uk. and some of them can't even leave the country, you know, and i'm very fortunate. i'm blessed that i have the ability to go in and out as i please. it's just having that indefinite inability to just kind of call england my home and be recognised as a british citizen. a traumatic upbringing often leaves scars. in many cases, they aren't always visible to the naked eye or obvious to those who carry them. you're involved heavily in mind. what is your role with them? i think they're a great, great foundation, the great charity that has a huge impact. for the nfl, every year you get to choose my cause, my cleats. and this year, because i went into therapy and i just saw the impact, i saw the change in terms of, like, how i treat people, how i view the world.

you know, it'sjust, itjust impacted everything. my confidence when i play, how i dealt with issues, that when growing up and, you know, and you know, then how i cope with certain things and i think like, you know mind offers that space and that's why i wanted to work with them and it's important for people to kind of go there and if they're having issues. the environment in the nfl, it's very macho, it's very alpha male. so opening up about how you feel might be seen as a sign of weakness, but how did you sort of marry the two aspects of your life with that together? notjust only in the nfl, right? you know, just even in the communities, even in the house, in african households, in lots of households, it's very taboo. and especially as a man like it's like, well, just get on with it. you know, it's always this mindset of someone else has it worse. so itjust kind of negates your feelings and, you know, and pushes it down. and i have an amazing platform, you know, and i, ifelt some type of way and it was impacting my, my life.

it was impacting the way i treat people, impacting my relationships. and i wanted to fix that. and then this isn't something that i could have an opportunity to do it years ago, but i didn't have that. like i said, it was very taboo. i didn't have the space. i've been programmed to feel like, 0k, well, just get on with it, you know, like, it is, what it is. and also i felt guilty, because i was like, well, i'm an nfl player. like, what do i have to complain about? it's a huge thing. men are killing themselves. people are depressed, you know, and people don't know how to cope with what they're dealing with. people are acting out on autopilot on certain things and not understanding. did you feel a great weight off your mind when you started to open up? at first i was scared! my mind! i was so scared, you know, i didn't know how it would be received. i felt so exposed. i felt vulnerable. it was so therapeutic. once i got it out and i started talking and i said, this is my stance and this

is what i believe and this is what this is. it really helped. like, honestly, it really helped. i even got in front of my team and spoke about myjourney and to use that to kind of galvanise and bring everybody together and just express that, just the gratitude and the immense privilege that we have as nfl players. and honestly, like, i would never... like, years ago, iwould never do something like that. but itjust kind of shows how helpful, you know, looking after your mental health was for me and how helpful it was for me, like, it's really helped me. what was the response from your team—mates when you did talk to them about your situation? you know, it's funny. like, you know, at first i was, like, when i was out there, my heart was beating. but then i shared it. everybody clapped and afterwards we went into our next meeting. but then over the course of the weeks, like, people just started coming to me and just kind of expressing like, you know, they appreciate me sharing and then they also, like, itjust kind of created that platform for them to share their experiences and theirjourney as well. and now, like, that was amazing. like, you know, i learned so much about my team—mates. i was able to connect on a deeper level, you know, and then also, as you kind of, i gained, like, friendships

to a point. and yeah, so it was it was very helpful. i was going to say, has it made you a better player, do you feel? 100%. you know, it made me definitely more confident, made me more trust in my abilities and where i come from. initially, i had the imposter syndrome and i feel like that's gone. like, i've accepted my role and who i am as a person. and i've kind of detached from my past and my internal voice and who i see. it's not it's not as negative. and even when it does get negative and when i do dip, i have the tools and the recognition and the awareness to understand that, 0k, well, ifeel this way, instead of catastrophising or spiralling, you know, into a certain point. efe 0bada, the fifth—year man out of nigeria, with his first i sack of the season. former pro coachjerry glanville once famously declared that nfl stands for �*not for long' due to the short career span at the top of the game. this makes 0bada's longevity, coupled with his unusual rise to the top, all the more impressive. the average career in.

the nfl is three years, 3.3 to be exact. so the fact that somebody who's come from his background, - come from the places - that he came from, not played the game for an extended period of time, has been in the nfl- for double the league average, is a testament to this guy's - character it's a testament to his athletic ability, - the testament to his will, his spirit. - and he's going to keep - on playing for quite a few more years, we expect. he's intelligent. he's very aggressive, very, very athletic, . his size, obviously. so all those things _ you combine into one person and you have a guy who's been in the league for. seven years now. as a seven—year veteran of the nfl, 0bada has lived in various cities and states across the usa. american football has given him a life he could have only dreamed of, but he's never forgotten where he comes from. so back in london, is london still home for you? london is definitely still home for me. 100%, yes. how does life in the usa compare to life in england? it's totally different, you know, because life in the uk, it was different because i was younger. i went through the traditional school system and working,

normaljob. and then in the nfl, i'm some nfl player, i'm an nfl player, you know, i'm a star! so, yeah, it's definitely different. how do you feel whenever you come back home? i feel grounded. i feel humbled. the nfl is such this... it's this all—consuming thing, you know, and it's this... we're all in this echo chamber of football then, these large amounts of wages and, you know, and salaries and, you know, and just having, being around the best of the best of everything. and then you come back home and it'sjust, you know, you get to see just the disparity and, you know, and it's just different. it's just different. do you still head back to your old haunts or do you try to avoid that? oh, no, no, istill do. yeah, listen, i'll go back. i'll go back around. yeah. especially i do some work with the big kids foundation and they're based in south london. they're doing a lot of stuff

across london as well. so i try to go and spend time with the kids and interact with them. efe's a fantastic story. you know, he's been through so much to get to where he is and trained so hard to play at the level he's now playing at. and he's really, you know, someone for the young people to look up to. he came from london, and they're from london, too. if he can do it, it allows those young people to believe that they can as well. what's it been like, getting to meet efe? oh, he's been quite loud, hasn't he?! . shouts. has it changed much from when you first got here and you were growing up there? in terms of american football, yeah, definitely. like, the sport's grown immensely. like, it's honestlyjust taken over and it's becoming a part of the english culture. does it help remind you of how far you've come yourself? it does. just being able to play in the league for this long and then also seeing the new generation of kids,

notjust going off to just traditional football and they're talking about american football, you know, flag football, and just wanting to go over to america and study and just being able to do that, it's huge. like, those conversations would never happen in my community. i feel like it's given me a lot of confidence. it's given me a lot of life skills. american football, especially flag, it's very family orientated. i can't wait for, like, the next five, ten years cos i know for a fact you'll see a lot more young people involved, a lot more young girls as well. would you like to create something permanent in south london, something that might open pathways le? p peo up for 100%. i think, i like moving forward. one of my dreams is to have my own facility, my own training facility, where people can come and watch, kids can come and just have that place, that safe haven. when i was growing up, i used to go to, like, youth centres, you know, and i used to... that's where i used to do my homework. that's where i made friends. that's where i used to just

play games because, you know, it was just this safe place and the sense of community if you just didn't want to be hanging out on the road. so if i can create something like that space, if i can help streamline and create more opportunities for american football and try and get in the grassroots levels and streamline that process. because, honestly, the way i got into the nfl was a miracle. the more people see his story, the more people understand where he came from, the more hope that it gives people, the more inspiration it gives people to think that to themselves that, hey, i'mjust like efe. i can do exactly what he did. i didn't have to be playing this game since i was a young kid to be able to make it to the highest level. so it's a massive inspiration for a lot of people. are your experiences part of the reason why you're so heavily invested in the nfl programmes outside the actual game itself? definitely. because, like, my nfl career isjust mine, for me. and, you know, and i've been afforded this platform. my journey is my journey. and there's a certain demographic of kids

and communities and people that i can reach. you know, i don't see 0dell beckham, all these stars, reaching these south london kids just because there's just, you know, they might admire them and, you know, appreciate the accolades. but this is because of where they're from. you know, the connection, the accent, the, you know, the understanding of south london and even the uk in general. i'm able to connect and also just the african background as well. you know, the immigrant lifestyle, the immigrant parents, the, you know, the journeys that i'm able to connect with these kids. and i would be doing an injustice if i don't make the most of the platforms that i have and try and reach back, because i would have wished for someone to do that for me and show that it's possible. you do have nigerian roots. how do you stay in touch with them? music, food. you know, like, when i when i feel homesick, just because of the different cultures that i experienced going to america and having to, like, kind of assimilate. and in that culture, when i feel homesick, that's my go—to, african food, music, the film, the language, you know, the banter, the, kind of, the interactions, you know, all of it.

like, it's who i am, it's deep—rooted in my dna, like, i'm an african man, you know? if you were only allowed one african dish, what would be your go—to meal? 0h... because one, that's the way! that's crazy. i'll be fat! so my go—to african is pounded yam. classic. you can't go wrong with jollof rice. it's very meat—heavy, you know! so, like, anything... all the meat! you're right, you can't go wrong with jollof rice. you do a lot of work with nfl africa. what does that involve? honestly, it's just anything to promote the culture, anything to promote and create opportunities back in africa, going back to africa with the camps, the programme, letting people know that there's a space here, you know, for africans. does it have a big following in africa? yeah, there's flag football. there's you know, there's lots of talent. i'm telling you, there's so much talent. you know, i need the nfl to kind of go over there and understand that, you know, africa is an untapped market

in terms of talent for the nfl and sports in general. the final chapters of 0bada's story have yet to be written, but few would bet against a hollywood ending. since birth, 0bada has been fighting against forces beyond his control. this has truly been a journey against the odds. anything you'd like to achieve, before you hang up your cleats? there's quite a lot of things. i want to obviously, love to win the super bowl. you know, i think that's the ultimate goal. as you know in your career, there's hall of fame. never achieved the super bowl. so i would love to do that. pro bowl. i'd love to do that as well, and experience that. i feel like those games

i'll be really good at! hello, there. we have some disruptive weather on the way. in weather on the way. the form of heavy snowfall. particularly in the form of heavy snowfall. particularly in the pennines. because of this area of low pressure setting of the as the war air into cold air across central and northern areas turns readily into snow. persistent late in the day across parts of northern ireland and into southern

scotland. it will be rain further south, a bit milder here, some of the rain quite heavy, may be thundery in places. double figure values here but much colder further north, howevera here but much colder further north, however a sunny day in store for much of scotland, with a few wintry showers across the north. widespread yellow warning for snow, then, for these areas. two to ten centimetres lower levels, up to ten to 15 over the hills. we could see up to a0 centimetres of snow by the time we reach friday morning over the pennines. take care.

welcome to bbc news. i'm lisa—marie misztak. our top stories: police in georgia crack down on protesters, as thousands demonstrate against controversial new laws. this place outside georgia's parliament in the capital, tbilisi, has been the scene of so many anti—government and anti—russia protests over the years, but this time the government may have gone too far. an investigation into the killing of breonna taylor concludes that a us police force routinely discriminated against black people. the uk prime minister defends his asylum reform plans, including banning anyone arriving in a small boat from claiming asylum or seeking citizenship.