>> this is dw news live from berlin. angela merkel addresses harvard's graduating class. the german canceler makes her case for a -- the german chancellor says truth must not be identified as lies, nor lies as truth. also coming up, dwindling hopes of finding survivors. this is the chancelloror here we are looking at, these pictures of herer living thee harvard

commencementnt address. we will begin some analysis of that shortly. also coming up, dwindling hope of finding survivors of budapest's boat tragedy. 21 people are still missing after a tourist boat sank last night as a criminal investigation into the accident gets under way. and the mothers who refuse to give up hope. these mexican women have taken the search or their missing women into their own hands in the country where tens of thousands have disappeared. thank you for joining us. german chancellor angela merkel has delivered the commencement address for this year's graduating class at harvard university. she reflected on germany's past, speaking of her formative years growing up in the shadow of the berlin wall.

the chancellor reaffirmed her commitment to achieving climate neneutrality. earlier thisis year, s she r red an honorary d doctorate i in law from the university. she spoke about the relationship between germany and the u.s. let's listen to what she said a little bit eararlier at that commencemement addreress. >> [speaking german] >> that requires us not to described lies as truth and truth as lies. [cheers and applause] ; that received a standing ovation. -- sumi: that received a standing ovation. you can hear us. i don't think we can see you at the moment, but since you are

there on the ground, give us first of all some of your impressions. alexandra: i think it was interesting, that we did not expect that the speech is going to be very political, but it was. merkel talked first of all from her personal life how she grew up in east germany and how she felt about the berlin wall and the fact that this wall limited her abilities, what she was able to do. then she went on talking about how it felt and that everything is possible when we look at germany's history and the fact that the wall fell, so it was sort of advice she gave to the students here, saying that nothing that seems to be set in stone is really set in stone. it always can be changed. i have here two students with me.

one of them just graduated, so i would like to ask about what you heard, was it what you expected? >> first of all, angela merkel is one of the most prominent people in the world. coming to the speech, you're not sure how it will pan out. i must say, it was a phenomenal speech. what stood out to me was pointing to the future, looking at climate change. i think it was a phenomenal speech. for me, it gives me a lot of hope that if i do believe i can break walls, i do without a doubt. >> what would you say was her main message? >> her main message was about breaking walls. that's what i took from it, not necessarily being too embroiled in your own world, but being able to step me on that.

also, things are possible. it's possible to solve climate change. it's possible to solve many of the social and environmental issues we have in the world. >> how did you like the speech? >> at that the speech was well done and well received and i thought she did a great job of striking a balance between inspiring graduates and sending a political message. i think she wants to strengthen the transatlantic partnership. i think it was significant that she gave the speech in the same place george marshall spoke to introduce the marshall plan up in the second world war and she wants to send a message that even though she is finishing us chancellor, in the future, germany should continue to strengthen ties with the united states. alexandra: those are the first impressions here from harvard. sumi: thanks. interesting voices from students. we should pass along our congratulations as well as they are graduating and moving into the world.

this seems to have been very well-received. the one student saying it also had a political message. did you take the same away? >> yes, and also she clearly laid out the work that does graduates alexandra just spoke to have before them, which is to make the next step to take leadership into the future. clearly, there was some barely masked criticism of the current policies of the trump administration with the "america first" kind of attitude to international politics. she stressed also relation to the marshall plan, to the postwar europe that should also hold a base of common values rather than national strength. this national strength, of course, is what donald trump is trying to play out, both in relations to china as a rising power, but also in relation to europe. also in relation to containing

iran, to prevent them from hitting a nuclear weapon. it is interesting that even when there are common goals between the u.s. and germany and the european union, they go about it in such a completely different way, as we see taking that point in case of iran where the u.s. is unafraid of actually escalating what could become a potential conflict, where is the european approach, also including the russians, interestingly, is to contain that issue, to try to give iran new opportunities, so that confrontational style, she alluded to that wall that stood in her way that stood in the way of her own development, so certainly words for a few potential leaders. sumi: there was a moment in the

speech that sounded like a very pointed message to the current u.s. president where she said week -- the truth must not be identified as truth nor lies as truth. she also talked about not making snap decisions. there was a standing ovation at that moment and also some laughter among the graduates. how did you perceive that moment and perhaps the students as well? >> -- alexandra: i thought that it was meant as a reference to president trump and asked the student next to me if it was and she said yes, of course. i asked students here if they thought when merkel was talking about how important it is, do you have a feeling it was a reference to the current u.s. president? >> i would like to think it is more a message for all of us, that the problems of the world are more complex and varied and

all of us have a role to play. i don't want to delve into the nitty-gritty of it. for me, as a student, what i drew from that is that this possibility and if the intent was for political reasons, i would say that it does not necessarily bother me. for me as someone who is listening to that speech, it is about hope, believing that the problems of the world can be solved, various can be brought down, walls can be broken. i think the message of us working together as opposed to as individuals was a particularly strong one for me and that germany can come together. alexandra: merkel also talked about the transatlantic relationship and that it has given us in europe more than 70 years of prosperity and peace and that this partnership is

based on common values such as democracy and human rights. it was, i think, an important topic for her to stress how important this transatlantic relationship is that seems to be in sort of crisis right now. >> absolutely. i think the transatlantic relationship is critical in order to solve issues that affect the entire world, especially climate change, and i think the partnership is founded on our common values, which are human rights. i think if we can get back on the same page, we can advance towards improving the world in other ways as well. >> i think that it was her main message as well that it is so important right now to tackle the problems the world is facing, to work together. sumi: certanly a positive and hopeful message for everyone to take away. thank you all very much for your insights.

let's move on to other news now. rescuers in budapest say there was a minimal chance of finding more survivors after a tourist boat capsized and sank on wednesday. the sightseeing vessel carrying more than 30 sightseeing tour us was hit by a river cruise ship in bad weather. seven are confirmed dead and 20 are missing. police have detained the captain of the boat that struck the tour vessel. >> houck is fading that anyone else will be found alive. survivors recounting what happened say help came too late and have asked why the cruise was allowed to go ahead in such bad weather. police have opened a criminal investigation. >> unfortunately, we found seven dead bodies. their identification is in progress. out of the -- 21 people e are

still mimissing. it began as a night out on the river for a group of south korean tourists and ended in tragedy. their boat, the mermaid, is clipped by a a river cruise ship five times its length. the mermaid capsizes and then in a matter of seconds, it sinks. south korea's president chaired an emergency meeting in the hours after the incident. >> our government will work closely with the hungarian government to investigate the cause of the accident. i ask related departments to do their best to support the victims and their families. >> relatives are already on their way, accompanied by south korea's foreign minister. the country is sending its own team, hoping, , however slimim

chances are, to find survivors. >> we have heard hungarians have arrested the captain of the cruise boat that was involved in the cocollision. what is the e test you c can tel us abobout the investigaon andnd also ongoing invnvestigation operations? >> police authorities have e tan it serioususly from the begigin. theyey want to know exexactly wt happened t today. very soon started this criminal investigation into what is really the biggest tragedy for hungary on the danubebe river in 75 years.. what i also know is, as you said already, at least seven people died, but they believe the number will go up because they are still looking for more than 20 people, and chances are very,

very slim m at this inint that they survived. authoritieies are really countig on huge deatath toll. sumi: that's a huge tragedy. soututh korean specialists arern their waway. wh canan they add toto these operations? ? >> whatt could be interesting is that among thehe peoeople who ae arriving herere are also expxpes who were involved, in fact, in a very -- a ferry accident in south korea that killed huhundrs of peoplple. that was one of south korea's most horrible accidents. they are hoping to advise the hungarians government in how to proceed next. besides them, there are also the relatives of those who died. they are arriving here as well, and i can also tell you i have seen f fwers and a also people burning candles here nearby for the victims. it is really a traragedy thais not a live felt t in south koroa t alsls amongng the hungaririans

living herere in this neigighborhoodod. sumimi: what is the situtuation right now? our touourist boats still operating? >> certainly not in n the area where i i am now.. the police are trying to control really the situation.. there are simply t too manany sightseeing boats. critics have pointed out that authorities were born a few years ago that this kind of accident could happen, so i think what you will see is a discscussion on neww rules on te waterways in hungary, especially hehere on the danunube river to avavoid such a tragedy once aga. sumi: thank you. now to some other stories making headlines around the world, for the second time this month, thousands of university students in brazil are skipping classes

to protest cuts in higher education bending. earlier this month, the president announced the government would freeze 30% of discretionary spenending for publblic uversitities in the sesecond half ofof this year. and a algeria chargrged with seg off a package bomb in the frfreh ci o of lyon told investigatoros he had pledged allegiance to the islamic state jihadist group. he was arrested with other family members in what is being declared a terrorist attack. and draft and peace talks have ended in moscow with telling and an afghan officials saying progress toward a cease-fire has been made. the taliban would not confirm if it would participate in presidential elections. russia is mediating between the factions as a jockeys with washington for influence in the country. you are watching tw news. still to come, the mexican mothers searching for their children. the countries where drug cartels disappear thousands of people every year.

not trusting the often corrupt police, families are forced to take matters into their own hands with sometimes devastating results. first, the austrian president has named a constitutional judge as the country's interim chancellor. it will lead a caretaker government until snap elections scheduled for september. stop i clear that the interim government will not pass any major legislation. she is austria's first female chancellor she replaces a man who lost a confidence vote. in india, narendra modi has been sworn in for his second term as primime minister. his party made history by increasing its majority of parliament after a second consecutive landslide win. he took the oath of office and the gardens of the presidential palace in front of 8000 people, including south asian leaders and bollywood stars.

his cabinet was sworn in at the same ceremony. dw has been following the ceremony in delhi. >> i india's prime ministster hs been sworn in today for his second term in o office as thehe prime minister of india. along with him, his council of ministers as well as his cabinet have all taken oats. the government has been charged with dealing with several critical issues off farmersrs crisis, the highest unememploymt the country has seen and 25 years. it looks like the country trusts the prime minister to deliver on the promises they made in the run-up to the election. the other interesting thing about the swearing-in ceremony, the foreign dignitaries invited from other countries. the prime minister and leaders of the south asia regional

cooperation group were invited. that group has pakistan as a member, and it t was bacack in 6 the last time a summit was attempted. india rejected going to the summit because of a terror atattack that had happened in kashmir thatt in 2016. this time in 2019, members of another regional cooperation group that centers around the bay of bengal to the east of india have been invited. these leaders have been invited to show a focus not only on maritime security and trade but on india's neighborhoooo first, clear indications being madade about nationonal policy as wells foreigign policy. india is ready with its new government for the next five years and prime minister modi is at the helm once again. >> to latin america now, the region with the highest number

of forced disappearances in the world. official figures estimate that around 200 thousand people have disappeared in the last two decades, though t tt is likely to be an underestimate. the country with the most missing persons is columbia -- columbia -- colombia. civil war in guatemala and central america also lead to tens of thousands of disappearances. since the end of the conflict in 1996,, the country has been criticized for failing to bring those responsible to justice. argentina on the other hand has been praised for the way that it has handled its past. during the years of dictatorship -- 1976 to 1983 -- security forces abducted around 30,000 people. government and military leaders have since faced trial and so did mexico where around 400,000 people are estimated to have gone missing over the last decade and a half. the high number of disappearances is blamed on

violent drug cartels, human trafficking, and heavy migration through mexico. the u.n. says many of the missing our children or adolescents. dw went to meet a group of mothers who spend their days searching for a missing group of children. >> she finally found her missing son. he disappeared without a trace five years ago. >> one day, he was selling cell phone accessories as usual, and he was just kidnapped at a gas station. because my son was disappeared and the authorities did not look for him, i started my own search. >> she says local authorities were no help, but that was no surprise. ordinary police officers are expected of frequent collaboration with the drug cartels. she started her search with this simple tool. it helps to take -- detect the scent of decaying corpses beneath the soil.

over time, other mothers looking for their missing children join her. >> a call themselves the trackers. they religiously and tirelessly search for traces of their missing children, their treasures, as they lovingly refer to them. they cannot believe they are dead until they have truth. that is exactly what their motto says --- "i will search for you until i find you." >> for many women here, this becomes their sole mission. their search off in terms of -- often turns up bones and skeletons. the stench of rotting corpses is overwhelming. time and again, the mothers of the disappeared are confronted with a tormenting question -- could this body the my child? -- be my child? >> it feels like my heart wants to jump out of my body. i'm shaking. i'm glad and sad at the same time because i don't know it if

it -- i don't know if it is my son or her son. in the end, it does not matter. we are looking for them because we love them. >> they have already found more than 500 bodies. according to local media, many of the disappeared are believed to have had ties to the drug trade. victims are often young men who had no prospects for legal employment. his mother's found the remains of 15 people on a single day. neighbors who had observed suspicious activity gave them crucial tips on where to did. the search missions are a provocation to the drug cartels. >> they tell us we should stop looking. otherwise the same thing will happen to us. then one day someone else will find us buried. we are scared, but love and the uncertainty y are stronger. >> it took three years for medina to find her son.

at last, she says, he can rest in peace. >> that report from our correspondent who joins us in the studio to talk to a small about the story. this is such an emotional and moving story. tell us why the cartels disappear young people. >> in the mexican state of sin a lower -- sinaloa, the cartel reigns supreme. it is the most powerful, the most brutal cartel in mexico. it was once headed by the notorious el chapo guzman who is now an american prison. the sinaloa cartel has infiltrated almost all levels of public and private life. it means, for example, a young man who is searching for work easily gets in contact with the drug hotel and maybe thinks of earning a lot of money very quickly.

we're talking about the lowest level of the cartel members. also, they make him addicted of drugs and if he wants to quit, maybe, he disappears. he could also work at a bank or a police station and your boss is the one in contact with the cartels who is forced to pay protection money. you get in the way of them, you want to report it, you disappear. same with local journalists reporting about drug crimes and naming the people responsible. they also disappear. sumi: what about the mothers? if they have seeped into every sector of society, that means it's difficult for these mothers. >> absolutely. the cartel has no interest to anybody knows about this of course, and they were using it over and over again. there were skeletons, but there was also a corpse which was

buried there for only two weeks. that means they are coming back, using the spot, and the mothers know that. also on this very day, the mother in the report, she told me she received a direct threat concerning one of her group members from the cartel saying this person has to leave now or something happens, and, luckily, nothing happened because the person left, but these kind of threats are happening on a regular basis. sumi: that is really troubling. how do they identify the bodies that they find? >> they receive a lot of donations, the group of the mothers, and they managed to finance a laboratory, and they send the pieces of the skeletons and the bodies, and they managed to identify the majority of the 500 bodies they y found. sumi: do they trust the police? do they trust the course of justice? >> actually, no.

one woman who has been working here for 30 years told me she would estimate maybe 90% of the local police are most of the times corrupt. they are helping the cartels when it comes to objections, and the mothers know that because most of the time, police officers would come to their houses and tell the families, "your son has done this and that , we have to arrest him, we have to bring him to the police station," but he never gets there. he is handed over to the drug cartel. sumi: it is an incredibly troubling story. thank you for sharing with us today. you are watching "dw news." we will be back with more. please stay with us.

. good evening this is life in paris on fronts twenty four i'm not a messy coming up for you in ththe next sixty m minutes. miranda modis sworn in for the second time as india's's prime minister thousands gathering to watch hisis inauguration. dy now saying who get to gripss with the e economy and keep inda say. another election in israel benjamin netanyahu fighting for his political life once again off to his own mps vote to dissolve parliament. and of course not vote. and landing in the country just hours after that selection is cooled jared kushner beast meets benny minute netanyahu as he

tries