France’s Macron heads to Africa for three-nation trip

PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron is traveling to Cameroon, Benin and Guinea-Bissau. The four-day visit is the French leader’s first diplomatic trip outside of Europe since winning his new mandate, showing how Africa is high on the list of priorities for the former African colonial power. On the agenda will be common challenges such as the fight against terrorism and combating climate change. But Macron will also discuss the consequences of the conflict in Ukraine, such as ballooning inflation and the cost of living and a likely food crisis due to halts on Ukraine’s key food exports.