here is my bottom line. america must always lead on the world stage. >> defining america's role. barack obama outlines his foreign policy vision for the rest of his presidency. ♪ >> hello, i'm jane dutton you are watching al jazeera life from our headquarters in doha. air strikes in libya. >> i'll be reporting live from continuely on a former general's latest attempt to tackle armed groups that he says are threatening this country's

stability. chaos in beirut. and tributes are paid to the celebrated american writer who has died at the age of 86. u.s. president barack obama has outlined his blueprint for the next stage of american foreign policy, speaking at the u.s. military academy, he said the u.s. needs to lead on the world stage, but also show military restraint. he said the u.s. must lead on the global stage. >> and when a typhoon hits the philippines, or schoolgirls are kidnapped in nigeria, or masked men occupy a building in ukraine, it is america that the world looks to for help. [ applause ]

>> so the united states is and remains the one indispensable nation that has been true for the century past and it will be true for the century to come. but the world is changing. with accelerating speed. this presents opportunity, but also new dangers. >> for more on this let's talk to patty culhane. >> i think what is noteworthy is the president has tried this several times to lay out what husband foreign policy is, and he is answering critics who say he is much too hesitant to take the lead role on the world stage, he says when it comes to

military force it will only be used if the u.s. security is threatened or its allies. if it doesn't reach that level like what we saw him do in ukraine they will try to use diplomatic pressure. and he announced a new $5 billion pot of money that will used to train counter terrorism forces in other countries. we believe he'll step up training of the moderate opposition group in syria. but he is also mentioning it for other countries. he talked about yemen, somalia and libya as well. >> and when he say we can't exempt ourselves from the rules that apply to everyone else. what does he mean by that? >> i'm not quite sure how that

is going to play with our audience on the international stage. the panel of un experts as already come out and criticized the u.s. sighing it is not following the same rules as the rest of the world. they specific mentioned the drone strike that killed a american in yemen without any sort of trial. the president did talk about drones and he did say he has put in new safeguards. we have seen the number of drone strikes go down, but he said things that we have heard before a year ago. he said that he was going to move the drone strikes from the cia to the u.s. military to increase transparency. he can do that on his own, that hasn't happened. he once again said it is time to close down guantanamo bay prison in cuba. he has said that for six years. but his staff has gone up to capitol hill and when asked have you even brought it up, their answer is no, they haven't.

>> he was sounding pretty chipper when he was talking about climate change and his achievements, wasn't he? >> he was. he put it in the international perspective of saying we can't force china to take these steps if we're not willing to do these on our own. and even when he had his own party controlling both chambers, but he said next year he is going to tackle climate change. but i think that's seems pretty unlikely. the guess is he is going to lose control of congress, and he has lost control of the house. >> all right. thanks for that patty culhane. let's bring you up to date on a developing story out of libya. war planes have bombed militia

bases in benghazi. a jet attacked a base belonging to a major armed group in the east. the former general has launched a campaign targeting groups he says are destabilizing the country. let's get the latest from stephanie. what more do you know about this stephanie? >> reporter: well, we know there were two air strikes on that base. we are being told that it was actually empty. that many of the fighters were outside and around. we're not hearing any reports of casualties. we have heard from a spokesperson of the former general who said that the operation dignity -- this is what they are calling it -- is underway, and they are not going to be making anymore statements until it's over. the general has named various brigades that he says are terrorists. one of them which is seen as a

radical extremist words in his words, seen as being behind assassinations in benghazi of security officials, opposition voices, judiciary. they made a statement last night, that if the former general continues his cam contain they will see it as an affront on islam and fighters from all over the world will come here to defending it. so people think the situation is going to get worse before it gets better. >> stephanie decker reporting live from continuely. thousandsover -- thousands of syrians are living abroad. this was the seen in the capitol earlier in the day. police used batons trying to push back crowds. it is the only polling station in the country that seemed insufficient to push back the

large crowd. >> reporter: since the early hoursover the morning, thousands of syrians have come here to cast their vote in the presidential election. some of them are soup porters of president bashar al-assad, they feel it is a sign he has prevailed. and for many, they came here out of fear. they are [ inaudible ] many of them believe that president assad is not going away any time soon. he is likely to win this new seven-year term no matter what the opposition says. and they want to make sure they don't burn their bridges with the regime in damascus because it is not going away. so they came here to show up, to register their name, to make sure the government knows they vote sod they can go home to syria one day. it has been a very different

picture in jordan. >> reporter: i am here outside the syrian embassy, where voter turnout appears to be rather low. although jordan is home to large population of syrians that reaches around 1.3 million and constitutes around 20% of jordan's population. not all syrians are ref fees about half of them have been living in jordan for decades, the other half have been displaced from the conflict. but it appears about half are against the assad government. the syrian ambassador went to jordan two days ago for what was described as his recent insults against the jordan government. it says it will not interfere in

the election which is happening inside the embassy, which is considered syrian territory. but jordan cannot afford to diplomatic ties with syria. the crackdown has jeopardized the fairness of the election. the mass arrest of political disdense has created a repressive environment, which has undermined the vote. meanwhile a presidential candidate has appealed the decision to extend the vote to a third day. >> reporter: polls opened smoothly for a third day of voting to choose a new president for egypt, but there is a growing debate about the low turnout in the last couple of days. there are around 50 million registered voters, and states media and talk shows were encouraging people to come out. a government official says 37%

of people have voted, but al jazeera has no way of verifying that figure. while the opposition alliance, which includes the outlawed muslim brotherhood, insists that less than 10% of voters showed up. another figure that we cannot verify. former army chief sisi who lead a coup against egypt's first elected civilian president is expected to become the next head of state. sisi urged egyptians to come out in millions to vote. his critics say he needs the high turnout to legitimize the coup. others say he wants 52% achieved by the overthrown mohammed morsi when he won the presidency in 2012. >> translator: no one can hide the sun. the people turn their backs to sisi. the people consider these elections illegal.

the people also noted that their votes have no value, because there were five elections before, and all had gone in vein. >> reporter: the only other candidate rejected the decision to extend the voting, but refused to pull out of the presidential race. another issue is whether a large section of the electorate is deliberately boycotting the ballot. >> translator: everyone is interpreting the boycott to their own aims. the brotherhood says it's victory for them. while the sisi camp says the boycott is boosting the brotherhood's aims. but the boycott came from the powers bigger than the brotherhood of sisi. >> reporter: polls are scheduled to close at 9:00 pm local time, and the official results are

expected within days. still ahead on the program, french riot police bulldoze their way through three makeshift migrant camps. and we look back at the life of mia angelo. vé

♪ welcome back, a reminder of the top stories. u.s. president barack obama has outlined his blue prints for the next stage of american foreign policy, speaking at the u.s. military academy at west point, he said the u.s. needs to lead on the world stage, but also show military restraint.

libyan war plains have bombed militia bases in the eastern city of benghazi. a jet attacked a base belonging to the february 17th brigade. chaotic scenes in lebanon as thousands turn out to vote at the embassy ahead of presidential elections. the poll has been announced as a sham by the regime's critics. riot police have bulldozed three makeshift camps. french police say it was necessary. but many migrants say they now have nowhere else to go. >> reporter: in just a few hours, this bulldozer destroyed everything. turning these people's few possessions into a pile of rubbish. it was difficult for many to watch.

>> after this we are on the road. >> reporter: the far right is gaining ground in france. many local people turned out to offer support to the asly lum seekers. this woman says you have left them with nothing. the law isn't intel genth, it is weak. it is for animals. under european law, these people must claim asylum or return to the first country they arrived in. they are trying to deter more people from coming here. but the refugees says this won't put them off from coming here, and it won't put them off from trying to get to the uk. how many times have you tried to get across to the uk? >> five. five times. >> reporter: how did you try? >> i tried under a car, and

sometimes i get inside luggage so i hid myself [ inaudible ] they found me, and other times the dogs will get me out. i'm tired of trying, but i don't know -- right now i have no choice. >> reporter: for now the local authorities are trying to persuade these people to go to a holiday camp where they can have a shower, but these refugees are afraid they will be removed far from the part. they would rather sleep here in the cold, because it's the only chance they have of getting to the uk and a better life. ukrainian fighter jets have maintained presence in the eastern city of donetsk. government forcing restaining control of the donetsk airport from armed pro-russian separatists. 40 were killed in the violence, but the separatists say they will continue to fight and they have support from hundreds of

minors in donetsk where david sent this report. >> reporter: after a day of bloodshed, a day of defiance in donetsk as several hundred minors rallied in support of the pro-russian fighters as their help declared people's republic under the stern gaze of linen speaker after speaker was applauded. >> translator: i'm a minor. every time i go to the mine, i risk my life. i'm not afraid. >> translator: they call us separatists, they call us terrorists, i'm just here to support the referendum, because i don't like what is happening in the country. >> reporter: the minors showed nothing buddies contain for the country's new president elect and his latest message. we are in a state of war in the

east. the anti-terror operation has begun in earnest. he told a german newspaper. you could say normality is returning to the streets of donetsk. but that depends on your sense of normality. jet fighters have been flying across the skies of the city. a form of psychological war fair. on the main road to the airport, the pro-russian fighters were strengthening their barricades, despite just losing the [ lost audio ] they still believe they can keep the government troops at bay. the red cross has put out a plea for medicine and bandages. four minors are still missing in eastern ukraine. they were on a you teen mission just east of donetsk when communication with them were

lost. ukraine's foreign ministry says the men are being held captive, and is working to get them released. edward snowden says he was working as a spy. he leaked details of u.s. intelligence gathering last year, after taking 1.7 million computerized documents. he is currently in russia. u.s. secretary of state john kerry says he should return home to face justice. >> if mr. snowden wants to come back to the united states today. we will have him on a flight today. we would be delighted to come back. that's what a patriot would do. a patriot would not run away and look for refuge in some other country. a patriot would stand up in the united states and make his case to the american people.

but he has refused to do that to this date at least. the fact is that -- you know, he can come home, but he is a fugitive from justice, which is why he is not being permitted to fly around the world. >> that will get him home. the military in thailand is tighting its grip on its people. it's part of the army's attempt to control the flow of information following the coup. >> reporter: [ inaudible ] refuses to be silent even though gathering of more than five people are now illegal. every day the student comes to the monument to express his anger against the coup. his protests are organized through social media. >> if everyone agree with coup, then i think for you just keep saying that, keep having power. doesn't want to give us back the power. so he needs to pressure -- give

pressure to like -- to do his best, to work best and make election. >> reporter: after posting tweets against the coup the journalist who was regularly interviewed by al jazeera was detained last sunday. his friend says he continues his defiance despite his detention. >> i don't care much if i'm arrested. this is why i like [ inaudible ]. we are the same. we believe in truth. somebody call me and said if you still use the social media, we will took -- go to your house and take your computer. uh-huh. and also you yourself, meaning me, you yourself will be arrested as well. >> reporter: the military has been very effective in silencing its critics, but there's one source of information it hasn't been able to control so far, and that's social media despite

orders to stop posting criticism. when facebook stopped working for 1.5 hours on wednesday, there was an outcry. that forced the military to immediately deny any involvement. although the information ministry confirmed facebook was blocked temporarily. that suggests censoring social media will be a lot harder than shutting down news sites. >> translator: now everything is under their control. blocking communication tools is possible. but if they want to do this, they have to do it briefly. people now use these tools, that if the army block them, repercussions could be greater than what they are trying to achieve. >> reporter: these pictures sent to the military's own television station are intended to show political detainees are being treated well, while the military can't control the flow of

information, many believe influencing people's opinion may prove much more difficult. south korean electronicsing giant samsung has faced many acquisitions against deaths. former samsung employees are meeting representatives from the company. from seoul, harry fawcett reports. >> reporter: they have been battling one of the most powerful institutions. now has come the time to talk too samsung. >> translator: samsung can no longer turn their face away from this issue, but the negotiations will never be easy. it all boils down to how sin sirly samsung will engage. >> reporter: the loss of this 22-year-old daughter to leukemia, after she worked in a samsung semiconductor plant was

the inspiration for his film. he says pressure from he and others accounts for a shift in the company's position. earlier this month the company withdrew from a compensation case. samsung maintains a series of investigations in to the chemicals used at its plants has found no link to the disease, but has for the first time said sorry . . . >> reporter: that could mean compensation for this person who developed a brain tumor after leaving samsung. surgery saved her life, but at a cost. >> translator: following the surgery, i lost friends. it has changed me completely.

i am in another corner of the world. i can't do anything that i was able to do in the past. >> reporter: the fact that these talks are underway is in itself a significant achievement for the families. but samsung is not accepting any responsible for causing the illnesses. it says it merely wants to ease their suffering and prevent any future problems. a team of u.s. investigators is assessing the strength of a tornado that injured nine people in the state of north dakota. >> look at that. tornado warning. >> yeah. >> amateur video posted online showed the twister approaching a trailer park. residents of neighboring camp filmed the tornado from inside his truck on monday. tornados are rarely reported in the area.

the american poet, author and activist, mia angelou has died at the age of 86. allen fisher looks back at her life. >> reporter: she was one of the leading literary voices of the last 50 years. she was a civil rights activist, educator, historian. she was born in st. louis, but was raised in the state of arkansas. her difficult life was detailed in "i know where the caged bird sings." she was raped at the age of eight and didn't speak for five more years. >> mia angelou. >> reporter: she starred as a dancer, winning a scholarship that lead to performing on broadway and a variety of tv

shows. but a more serious calling sent her overseas. she ran newspapers in egypt, taught in ghana, and learned five languages. she published more than 30 best-selling titles. she awls acted in the famous tv series "roots." among her accomplishmenaccompli pulitzer prize awards and much more. >> imagine it a black girl from arkansas smaller than this little town here. this little village. imagine it. now one of the most important writers. imagine it. >> reporter: the poem she wrote for president clinton's inauguration sold more than 1 million copies. >> come you may stand upon my back and face your distant destiny, but seek no haven in my

shadow. >> reporter: she died at her home in north carolina. she was 86. remember you can always keep up to date with all of the news on our current.com/thewarroom. >> as the world's most elderly nation - japan is dancing with a demographic disaster. people are living longer and birthrates are falling fast. no other country has a greater percentage of old people. the government has responded by raising taxes and the retirement