tough questions and you'll get... the inside story ray suarez hosts inside story weekdays at 5pm et / 2pm pt only on al jazeera america >>? chaos and confusion in libya as forces loyal to a renegade general take their fight to the capital. hello, welcome to al jazeera, live from doha. also on the programme - the tearful south korean president apologises for the ferry tragedy, and announces plans to break up the coast guard. tenses of thousands scramble for higher ground as the worst floods in a century inundate the

balkans. and the world of sport says goodbye to a motor racing legend - jack brabham dies at the age of 88. two dead, dozens injured and libya's government in chaos. fighting swept across tripoli, and forces loyal to a general launched an attack on the parliament, demanding a suspension. the man at the center of the unrest is khalifa haftar. the retired general was once a military chief of staff. the late libyan leader muammar gaddafi, and took part in the coup that brought him to power. he was disowned after leading a disastrous military operation in chad where 600 soldiers were captured. he defected and sought exile in

the united states. he claimed to have the backing of washington d.c. he returned it libya and led the uprising that toppled muammar gaddafi. he accused the government of not doing enough to stop hardline militia. we have this report from tripoli. >> reporter: a brazen attack on the congress, the country's parliament. tripoli turned into a war zone. heavy machine-guns, rocket propelled grenades and weapons used. plumes of black smoke in the care. according to witness, gunmen driving military vehicles stormed the building, saying they were members of the zinc tan brigade that had bases near the airport. this attack seems to be linked to unrest in eastern benghazi. a spokesman for the libyan national army khalifa haftar told al jazeera that they declared an open war on the

government for supporting what they called extremists and terrorists. on friday forces loyal to khalifa haftar attacked the bases of two militias in benghazi, the fighting leaving dozens dead. khalifa haftar was forced to act. >> translation: today the national army launched a battle to defend our nation, people and the lives of officers who are being assassinated. this is not a coup against a state. we are not seeking power or authority or hindering the course of democracy. the blood of libyans is safety. terrorists wanted there to be a battle. there it be honourable. the central government accused khalifa haftar of staging a coup. >> translation: the acts carried out by army officers constitute

violation of army officers. it represents a coup, an arrest warrant issued by the military prosecutor. an order has been handed down stand up to attempts by the subverse if forces. >> reporter: the caretaker government is week, struggling to rein in powerful militias. armed forcers are unable to compose law and orders. militias act with impunity. hours after the attack on the national congress, the sound of fighting - explosions could be heard in tripoli. it could indicate that libya is heading to chaos, violence and infighting. omar joins us live on the line from tripoli now. what is the latest on the ground there? >> well, this morning it is surprisingly quiet.

we haven't had the sound of heavy clashes or explosions. the clashes continue late last might, on sunday. there were different reports of different attacks at - live from rebel groups in the capital tripoli. now, the government is keen to put the face to the crisis. it organised a late press conference in which it denounced the attack on the general national congress. the minister speaking was the justice minister, and he called on all politicians to resort to reason, and dialogue, and he denounced the use of weapons to express a political opinion. clearly the situation stands, we don't know exactly what will happen, but there are fears among the residents that this could be the beginning of a

hectic few days thank you for the update. omar - our correspondent joining us from the libyan capital tripoli. to other news - south korea's president announced that the coast guard will be disbanded and replaced with a new safety agency in a tearful address to the admission. president park geun-hye took responsibility for the government's handling of the ferry disaster. our correspondent harry fawcett is joining us live from seoul. harry. >> reporter: well, this was not the first time that president park geun-hye made an apology in the weeks since the ferry disaster. it's the first time she accepted direct responsibility, looking down the barrel of a camera, addressing her nation square-on. she said it was her responsibility as president to look after the safety of the country. at tombs it was emotion -- times it was emotional, contain

details behind the intention announced that in the wake of widespread corruption she intended to reform the nation from square one. south korea's president cried openly, paying tribute to others who gave their lives as the ferry sank. she assumed responsibility for the loss of 300 lives so many schoolchildren. >> translation: i apologise for the pain and suffering. i'm responsible for the safety of the people. this was a speech designed to step up their plans. the first target was the coast guard, criticised or helping the captain and crew to safety, but not doing enough for those trapped in the cabins, the service would be disbanded. a safety agency would take over

the role. the police its investigative one. the president vowed to end the bureaucratic mafia, where officials get cushy jobs in industries they oversee. in seoul, more than a month on people add tributes to victims and consider the president's response. >> i think her apology is too late. it's not the right time to break up the coast guard. >> park geun-hye's distress was laid bear, and she has a political fight on her hands. her approval rating fell from the low '60s, to mid 40s, and there are elections coming up on june the 4th. >> because of the significance of the issue and shock that people face, there is political momentum that she can take advantage of. though it's crisis, this is an opportunity for her to take

critical actions. >> president park geun-hye begins a trip to the united arab emirates tide to a nuclear rehabilitation, reeling from a safety scandal linked to corruption. well, the coast guard continues its operations off the coast of jindo where 18 are missing, thoughts on board. the head of the coast guard saying that there might be a change in the hearts of those workers, but he will convince them to carry on and do what they can to recover the last remaining bodies. that's our correspondent live from seoul. lawyers representing former bosnia army chief rad coe mill add itch are to begin their defense. he faces 11 charges of genocide from 1992 to 1995 bosnia war, and is accused of kills

thousands of men and boys in scriban itch ka. the worst massacre at least 44 died in the balkans, suffering its worst flooding on record. thousands have been forced from their homes. we have this report. >> reporter: in the air and on the ground. the priority is to get to the old and the sick. this is 88-year-old woman. we meet her after she was rescued by the serbian army. she tells us her house was sub merged under 1.5 metres of water. she was alone without food for days, and drinking water. this is a massive logistical operation, threatening to overwelcome serbia's emergency services. the serbian prime minister says the damn will cost billions.

>> volunteers have joined the operation here. this man is a personal trainer from belgrade. he is here to help rescue those left behind. >> reporter: how many people do you think are left? >> we don't know. >> we going to see. >> reporter: it's not clear how many people died here. every official that we asked tells us that we have to wait for the waters to recede, to see the damage that was done. as you can see some of the water is pulling back, that there are still many houses completely submerged by the flooding. and there are many people who are waiting to be rescued. >> this man wouldn't give us his name. he says he has seen dead bodies, is angry at the authorities for not arriving earlier. >> translation: they came too late. we had no warning about what happened. the town is destroyed. it's sad for us, we have no food

and nowhere to live. >> reporter: in bosnia there's another menace under the rubble. land mines from the war from the 1990s: the fear is the river bangs could expose the mines. the biggest power station is under threat. capacity has already been cut. waters have reach the basement of the plan, a shut down that will blackout most of the country. for now it's stopped raining. the worry is that there could be a flood surge from the drana river in bosnia. the ground is saturated. people are wondering where will all the water go. coming up on al jazeera - i felt disgusted.

>> mij earia's government under fire for how it handled the threat from boko haram. plus, china steps up the mission to get its citizens out of vietnam, following deadly riots.

good to have you with us. these are the top stories - two have been killed after rebels loyal to a renegade army general stormed libya's parliament. general khalifa haftar has been conducting a campaign against

militias. the army says the actions amount to a coup. south korea says its coast guard will be expanded in the gulf for the sinking of a ferry in which more than 300 died. the president took direct responsibility for the government's response to the disaster. >> 44 died in the balkans, in the worst flooding on record. thousands have been forced from their homes since serbia, bosnia, herzegovina and croatia four have been killed in the northern nigerian city, in a busy street, in a caistian area. there's -- christian area. there's no claim of responsibility a senator were borno state is disappointed with how the government is dealing with the threat from boko haram. there's growing frustration over a failure to rescue 200 school girls kidnapped by the group.

we have more from abuja. >> reporter: this is the senator for borno state, the epicentre of boko haram's attacks in recent years. he says he's unhappy with how the government is handling the crisis. >> i feel disgusted. i feel very, very bad. for a country like nigeria, a country with a lot of resources, mann power, you know, and they cannot contain a small group. >> but for the security forces, boko haram's group have represented new challenges that they are struggling to cope with. at times they are outgunned by boko haram fighters. something the senator says should not happen given how well funded the nigerian army is. >> between 2012 and 2013 we gave them about 1.5 trillion lira.

that translates to about $10 billion. even if they were given just a quarter of that money, i am sure there would a complaint of equipment to fight. >> for now boko haram continues its campaign of violence, almost unhindered. it killed thousands of people. its last month abduction of more than 270 school girls from the small village by the group that gripped global attention. now boko haram, like its attacks, they could take on a regional dimension. at a security summit. nigeria, chad, niger and cameroon agreed to share intelligence and share action against the group. >> boko haram will no longer

find safe haven in chad, niger or cameroon. it means that the jointness of the pact creates, enables the nations to work together and recognise that boko haram is an international phenomenon and need to be stamped. >> reporter: while men in nigeria support the outcome of the paris summit, they believe boko haram will only disappear when the government reduces poverty and unemployment in the north. mali's prime minister deployed troops to recapture the northern town, warning that his government is at war with terrorists. dozens were killed in fighting between the army and rebels on saturday. we visit the region. six government workers and two civilians are among the dead. the united nations called for the release of 30 civil servants

who have been taken hostage in the town. syria's air force chief was killed in fighting. general hussein ishaq reportedly died on saturday after rebels attacked a defense base. he is one of the highest ranking commanders killed in the 3-year conflict. a citizen journalist in syria told how he suffered but survived a chemical attack, taking place in august, near damascus. he has since escaped to the u.s. and is working to raise awareness of the war. here is his personal account of his journey. >> i am 27 years old. i just made it here to the united states almost two months ago. i came from a town in the west of damascus. i got exposed by sarin attack, on august 21st. my heart stopped for

three minutes. i lost my ability to breathe. i felt my chest was set on fire. my eyes was burning like hell. it was so, so painful. i felt like someone was tearing out my chest with a knife. i use the expression of judgment day to describe what it felt like for me to see women and children, older men, running and falling on the ground, suffocating, without seeing a single drop of blood. i have to pull myself together five days later to escort the united nations team when they entered the area, to take advantage of my english skills. people started to feel hope again when we heard that there'll be consequences for using chemical weapons in syria, but when nothing happened, people were so disappointed and this comes from the

international community. i made it through the borders, and from beirut airport, controlled by hezbollah, and it was a pure miracle for me to make it here. i'm doing a speaking tour across the u.s., making events and universities and other public events, meeting with politicians. after three years of sacrificing a lot of lives to accomplish our goal in building a free syria, i think that we deserve respect and support from the united states. the regime wants us to give up. even, i think, sometimes international community or some countries at least want us to give up, and just go back to being loyal servant to the regime. we will not give up, and you will continue sacrificing until

we manage to accomplish our goal, which is building a free syria, and syria for all. two chartered flights arrived to southern china carrying injured chinese workers from vietnam. thousands of chinese nationals have been evacuated following anti-china riots. protesters angry at china for placing an oil rig in disputed waters. adrian brown joins us live from beijing is this just about an oil rig in disputed waters, and how is this dispute going to play out, do you think, with the international conference on regional stability, set to take place in china? >> that's right. that conference begins in shanghai and will be attended by vladimir putin, amongst others. the focus at the moment is china's assertive claims in the

south china sea. it's not just about oil and gas and shipping lanes. many analysts believe that in a sense the chinese want to test america's resolve in in part of the world, america's determination to reengage with this part of the world. they want to know how far america is prepared to go in protecting its allies, japan and the philippines. remember president obama visited both countries last month. when he was in japan he recognised japan's calls for the island. yes, i think that america is essentially saying that what china is doing right now is in many ways a response to their desire to re-engage with this part of the world. also tomorrow we will see the start of military exercises

between russia and also the chinese. their navy is taking part in joint exercises in the east china sea sending a direct and blunt message to japan. >> thank you. that's our correspondent adrian brown joining us from beijing. >> we are a little over three weeks until the world cup kicks off in brazil. some of the stadiums are unfinished. daniel schweimler visits some of the new stadiums to see how much work feeds to be done. >> reporter: the new 540 million home of corinthians club, a venue for six world cup games, including the opener between brazil and croatia, and a semifinal. it's not finished. there was plenty to cause concern at the trial match, 25 days before the counter starts. this man said he was in charge,

but couldn't tell us where to find press accreditation. [ speaking foreign language ] >> reporter: "we should have faith in god", he says. these are the main steps which the dignitaries will be climbing for the opening game of the 2012 world cup. what you don't see is what i can see from another angle. building materials and unfinished work. it will be finished at the last minute, say f.i.f.a. officials. no, i'm not a high schooly gan tearing out the seats, this is one of thousands waiting to be installed before the kick off june 2012. 40,000 fans saw the game between corinne thians in a stadium with a 68,000 capacity. public transport, communication, first aid facilities and crowd control are some elements being tested. this is a beautiful stadium with

great acoustics, and it will be a wonderful sporting arena when it's finished. the question is will it be ready in time for the start of the world cup. the brazilian authorities say it will. football is a religion here. you must have faith we were told. many are placing theirs in god, rather than the world cup organizers. now, three times formula 1 world champion jack brabham died aged 88. the australian died peacefully at his home in queensland. he won the title in 1959, 1960 and 1966. the motor racing legend is the only man in formula 1 history to design, build and drive his own car to victory. gordon lomas is the editor in chief of speedcafe.com, an online motor publication based in australia, and joins us from

helensvale in queensland. good to have you with us talking about jack brabham. he says he didn't set out to become a racing driver, and it just happened. he turned out to be quite the pioneer, didn't he? >> yes. he sure did. thank you for having me. australia suffered a tremendous loss today. the greatest motor racing driver this country produced and one of its greatest ever sportspersons. he really did stumble across motor racing. he was in sydney, and he was building a speedway car with one of his friends, who was supposed to drive the car. after a series of crashes the friend's wife persuaded him to give it away and jack thought "i might give the driving a go. that's how, on the dirt on the speedway track of sydney, brisbane and australia, jack's

career started. >> he went on to win the world title for the third time in 1966 for the car that he designed, built, drove. how unprecedented was that? >> he did. he won the title first in 1959. and 1960. and then in "66 he won it for a third time, in a car that he designed, and with an engine that was actually built in australia using an old block, built by repco. that has never ever been done before, and while you say never say never, it will probably never ever be repeated in the future. >> i know that you knew him personally. what was he like? >> look, jack was a thorough gentleman. he had a tremendous disposition on the track and off track. and he was one of the most

refined and distinguished gentlemen you could come across. he leaves a massive legacy. he has sons jeffrey and david who are both winning big races around the world. i am richard ginzberg. if you want to pick a side in the ukraine story, pick a channel. there is something for everyone. protesters in thailand want just one side of that story told. so they have given journalists marching orders. we will drill down into the coverage of the economic story in greece where the media are a battleground.