- 'Second family': tennis stars hunt winning formula with new coaches
- Philippines, South Korea agree to deepen maritime cooperation
- Mexico mayor murdered days after taking office
- Sardinia's sheep farmers battle bluetongue as climate warms
- Japan govt admits doctoring 'untidy' cabinet photo
- Israel marks first anniversary of Hamas's October 7 attack
- Darvish tames Ohtani as Padres thrash Dodgers
- Asian markets track Wall St rally on jobs data
- Family affair as LeBron, Bronny James make Lakers bow
- Cancer, cardiovascular drugs tipped for Nobel as prize week opens
- As Great Salt Lake dries, Utah Republicans pardon Trump climate skepticism
- Amazon activist warns of 'critical situation' ahead of UN forum
- Mourners pay tribute to latest victims of deadly Channel crossing
- Phillies win thriller to level Mets series
- Yu bags first PGA Tour win with playoff win
- PSG held by Nice to leave Monaco clear at top of Ligue 1
- Lewandowski treble for leaders Barca as Atletico held
- Fresh Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Sucic stunner earns Real Sociedad draw against Atletico
- PSG draw with Nice, fail to reclaim top spot in Ligue 1
- Gudmundsson downs AC Milan after De Gea's penalty heroics for Fiorentina
- 'Yes' vote prevails in Kazakhstan nuclear plant vote: TV
- 'Difficult day': Oct 7 commemorations begin with festival memorial
- Commemorations begin for anniversary of attack on Israel
- 'Nothing gets in way of team,' says Celtics' MVP hopeful Tatum
- 'We will win!': Mozambique's ruling party confident at final vote rally
- Tunisia voting ends as Saied eyes re-election with critics behind bars
- Florida braces for Milton, FEMA head slams 'dangerous' Helene misinformation
- Postecoglou slams 'unacceptable' Spurs after 'terrible' loss at Brighton
- Marmoush double denies Bayern outright Bundesliga top spot
- Rallies worldwide call for Gaza, Lebanon ceasefire
- New 'Joker' film, a dark musical, tops N.America box office
- Man Utd stalemate keeps Ten Hag in danger, Spurs rocked by Brighton
- Drowned by hurricane, remote N.Carolina towns now struggle for water
- Vikings hold off Jets in London to stay unbeaten
- Ahead of attack anniversary, Netanyahu says: 'We will win'
- West Indies cruise to T20 World Cup win over Scotland
- Man Utd fire another blank in Aston Villa stalemate
- Lewandowski treble powers Liga leaders Barca to Alaves victory
- Russian activist killed on front line in Ukraine
- Openda strike briefly sends Leipzig top of Bundesliga
- Goal-shy Man Utd have to 'step up', says Ten Hag
- India bowl out Bangladesh for 127 in T20 opener
- Madueke rescues Chelsea in draw with 10-man Forest
- Beckett's belief rewarded as Bluestocking storms to Arc glory
- Trump on the stump, Harris hits airwaves in razor-edge US election
- Flash flooding kills three in northern Thailand
- Kaur leads India to victory over Pakistan in Women's T20 World Cup
- Juventus held by Cagliari after late penalty drama
- In France's Marseille, teen 'stabbed 50 times' then burned alive
Street art in Montreal is writ large
A mysterious creature playing piano, a white tiger baring its fangs, and a huge Batgirl: dozens of artists are busy this June painting giant frescoes for the tenth edition of Montreal's Mural festival.
Started in 2012, the street art event is looking to be crowned the "leader in urban art" in North America, organizer Pierre-Alain Benoit told AFP.
Visitors can view more than 100 past and new murals in central neighborhoods of the French-speaking metropolis painted by artists from Canada and around the world. Twenty-one artists painted new murals this year.
Among them is Caroline Monnet, an Indigenous artist who traces her ancestry to the Great Lakes region of Canada and the US.
The first-timer here chose to paint geometric patterns of repeating triangles or lozenges common in Ashininaabe textiles, that have been "passed from generation to generation."
This celebration of her culture, she said, is also a political statement of sorts, admonishing the nation's colonial past.
"We have been excluded from any cultural expression for a very long time," she explained. "So to be able to have my art on a platform as large as this one, and to have it accessible to a wide audience as well... I think that's great."
"I think we're taking a step forward," she said, cans of spray paint in hand.
For others, such as Kata Hull, a painter from Boston visiting Montreal with her husband, the open-air exhibition poses an opportunity to reach a wider art audience.
"I like seeing art anywhere, so outside feels more accessible to more people. And not everybody's interested in gallery," she said.
Natalie Capuano, who snapped more than 500 photos of the murals, expressed pride at seeing so many of them, saying "it changes the look of the city."
"It's such a pleasure to come and discover new murals every year, we are often surprised and it's much more beautiful than bare walls," says the local resident.
Among the more famous murals in Montreal are two massive portraits of its most famous singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen, who died in 2016.
The festival is also showcasing 25 hip-hop artists including American rapper Lil Yachty and French rapper Kaaris.
And passersby who download the festival's app can check out augmented reality installations at two nearby parks.
G.M.Castelo--PC