Merz to skip Macron’s space summit

PARIS — German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is pulling out of a space summit hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Wednesday and Thursday. A spokesperson for Merz said Monday that he was canceling his trip because of his busy agenda this week, just hours after the chancellor’s party suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of the far-right Alternative for Germany in the Saxony-Anhalt state election . Merz is set to meet with with European Council President António Costa and speak