The situation in the morning - terrorist attack near Moscow, Wissing's dream of an air taxi, what financial policy has to do with hostility to democracy

Highlights: SPIEGEL: Terror attack near Moscow, Wissing's dream of an air taxi, what financial policy has to do with hostility to democracy. At least 60 people are victims of this terrorist attack, and 145 people are said to be injured, including children. CSU politician Dorothee Bär preferred to talk about her vision of metropolitan air traffic instead of the slow pace of broadband expansion. On New Year's Eve we will tell you how many air taxis can be seen in the sky of Berlin.

A brutal attack shakes Russia. Volker Wissing dreams of air taxis. And young people discuss financial policy and hostility to democracy. This is the situation on Saturday morning.

Terror near Moscow

The images from yesterday evening were of a rare, cold brutality: armed men in a concert hall shooting around with automatic weapons without restraint. Visitors flee in panic from the shots, past bodies covered in blood. There is a large cloud of smoke above the crime scene, an event hall in the Moscow suburb of Krasnogorsk. The Crocus City Hall is on fire and the roof is partially collapsing.

At least 60 people are victims of this terrorist attack, and 145 people are said to be injured, including children. Late in the evening, the "Islamic State" claimed responsibility for the crime. Experts consider the self-accusation to be credible, but nothing has been finally confirmed yet.

The Russians are familiar with terrorist-motivated attacks. The attacks on the Moscow subway in 2010 with 40 deaths, on the Moscow Domodedovo airport in 2011 with 38 deaths, on the subway in Saint Petersburg in 2017 with 16 deaths, and the brutal hostage-taking in a school in Beslan should be remembered more than 350 dead.

In recent years, however, things have been comparatively quiet; Vladimir Putin's massive security apparatus appeared to have internal threats under control. Why the system failed and why the perpetrators were apparently able to implement their plan undisturbed will be the crucial questions that Moscow's power elite will now ask themselves.

This attack was not entirely unexpected. The US Embassy in Moscow warned in early March that extremists could carry out attacks on large gatherings. Concerts were also specifically mentioned. Apparently the Americans' warnings were not taken seriously enough in Moscow.

Our current reporting on the attack: Moscow calls the US reaction to the attack premature

Taxis of the skies

Do you remember the time when air taxis briefly dominated the debate in the country? The CSU politician Dorothee Bär gave the reason for this when, in an interview with the “heute journal” in March 2018, she preferred to talk about her vision of metropolitan air traffic instead of the slow pace of broadband expansion. It was a few days before she took up her position as Commissioner for Digitalization under Chancellor Angela Merkel. She was sure to be ridiculed.

Now the debate is experiencing an unexpected renaissance. Transport Minister Volker Wissing from the FDP also seems to be a fan of air taxis.

Wissing's house is apparently planning to approve a considerable amount of funding for the development of the aircraft, as my colleagues Serafin Reiber and Gerald Traufetter have found out. As early as April, 150 million euros in tax money could flow to the Volocopter company, whose taxis will at some point hover over major German cities. The Ministry of Transport and the Free State of Bavaria should split the sum, with the federal government making advance payments.

The problem: The company's future prospects are unclear, so auditors warned against this investment. But Wissing seems to have a lot of hopes for the technology: Volocopter could receive type certification by the summer, the ministry said in response to a query from SPIEGEL, and commercial flight operations around the turn of the year were "not unrealistic."

So on New Year's Eve we will tell you how many air taxis can be seen in the sky of Berlin. And whether Dorothee Bär is among the first passengers.

Read the whole story here: Volker Wissing takes off

What financial policy has to do with hostility to democracy

When more than 150 young people voluntarily go to an event hall on a Saturday to discuss financial policy, that alone commands a great deal of respect from me. I would always find an excuse to occupy myself with other things.

For the third time, the Fiscal Future initiative is organizing the financial policy youth dialogue in cooperation with the Friedrich Ebert Foundation. The topic this time: The connection between the rise of anti-democratic narratives and current financial policy. An exciting and rarely articulated aspect in the broad debate about the future of parliamentary democracy.

It can be assumed that the event will not be complete without a small debate about the debt brake. And the recent announcement by the federal government to increase pensions by almost five percent is unlikely to be met with undivided joy among younger people. Your burden will become ever greater if the pension level is to be maintained in the future.

SPD general secretary Kevin Kühnert, federal chairwoman of the Greens, Ricarda Lang, Union parliamentary group vice-president Jens Spahn and Christoph Meyer, deputy parliamentary group leader of the FDP in the Bundestag, have announced their participation in the discussion.

How Labor Minister Hubertus Heil defends his pension concept: "The Conservatives are building on Maggie Thatcher"

Click here for the current daily quiz

Today's starting question: Which US president declared the New Deal in the 1930s?

Winner of the day...

... is Princess Kate. In two minutes and twenty seconds, she put an end to all the rumors about her health, mental health, relationship, family and whatever else. Sitting on a park bench in a striped sweater, the “Princess of Wales” revealed her cancer and the beginning of chemotherapy via video.

One may find it questionable, even disgusting, that she apparently felt compelled to take this step after an image she had amateurishly edited with Photoshop set the speculative hysteria in motion. At the same time, at least the British, whose taxes also help finance the monarchy, have a right to know how their key representatives are doing.

One can only hope that the princess maintains the sovereignty that she exudes in this video.

Assessments of Kate's video: Take that, you amateur detectives

The latest reports from the night

Donald Trump returns to the stock market with a media deal:
Donald Trump has to pay hundreds of millions in penalties and interest after his court cases. A merger and the IPO of his media company are now likely to bring in billions for the ex-president.
FBI informs Boeing passengers about possible "crime":
After the dramatic incident with an Alaska Airlines Boeing, the passengers received mail from the FBI: The passengers are therefore considered "possible victims of a crime."
Love letter from Eric Clapton auctioned for 140,000 euros:
She was a top model and married to two legendary rock stars: Now Pattie Boyd has parted with memorabilia at an auction in London. They brought in seven times what was expected.

I would particularly like to recommend this text to you today:

"Many couples tear each other apart and don't know why":

Everything was good in the relationship, but suddenly the partner withdraws or reacts jealously. Couples therapist Sharon Brehm explains why attachment patterns play a role in conflict. And how to find out what attachment type you are.

I wish you a relaxing weekend!

Yours, Martin Knobbe, head of the SPIEGEL capital office