Bet Shemesh, Israel | The remains of a sixth-century Byzantine church dedicated to an unnamed "glorious martyr" with elaborate mosaics, a rare crypt and a large collection of lamps were unveiled in central Israel on Wednesday.

The complex, which spans over a third of an acre, was found during salvage excavations ahead of the construction of a new neighbourhood for the city Bet Shemesh, west of Jerusalem.

The mosaics in the church depict themes from nature, such as leaves, birds and fruit, as well as geometrical elements, with imported capitals topping pillars, according to the Israel Antiquities Authority, which carried out the excavation.

Most of the construction of the church began during the reign of Emperor Justinian, who ruled between 527-565, with a chapel added later under Emperor Tiberius II Constantine, with rare financial support from him, the IAA said in a statement.

An underground burial chamber with two separate staircases leading to and from it was found, making it one of the few churches with fully intact crypts to be found in Israel's limits, said Benjamin Storchan, who directed the excavation for the IAA.

The church was dedicated to a "glorious martyr," whose identity has eluded the researchers working on the find for the past three years, but the "exceptional opulence of the structure and its inscriptions indicate that this person was an important figure," said Storchan.

Diggers also found what they believe to be "the most complete collection of Byzantine glass windows and lamps ever found at a single site in Israel."

The Bible Lands Museum in Jerusalem, which is hosting a display on some of the finds, said that lighting in churches, often perceived as "the representation of the divine," enhanced the "dramatic environment for a powerful religious experiment."

With its location near Jerusalem, the Church of the Glorious Martyr was most likely a significant pilgrimage site for Christians en route to the Holy City, the museum said.

jjm/mjs/dr

Chon Buri, Thailand | 

Sloshing across a muddy field with men sprinting behind them, prized water buffaloes blow past cheering spectators in eastern Thailand on Sunday in a rare display of bovine speed.

Tractors have largely replaced the big beasts in daily work but farmers in Chonburi have preserved the more than 100-year-old racing custom to mark annual rice plantings.

"Before, we used buffaloes to plough rice fields. When our work was done, we held the buffalo race as relaxation," said owner Thanin Sae-tiew, 52.

"It has since become our tradition."

Pairs of horned buffaloes thunder to the finish line while a racer grasping a red plough tries to hold on until the end or face disqualification -- and excited laughter from the crowd.

It's less about winning the 3,000 baht ($100) prize than pride in victory, though the best buffaloes can fetch higher prices when sold.

And they are treated to fancier food than most livestock.

Racer Noppadol Pornpaipan, 22, says his animals are fed boiled rice, eggs and chicken extract in the evening.

But come race day they get a special meal of rice mixed with a little shark fin soup that supposedly boosts buffalo energy.

The normally slow-moving buffaloes can still be seen dotting the rural landscape but the rise of mechanised farming has made them less essential.

Some worry that younger generations will lose touch with older ways of life but the race provides a way of keeping the history alive.

"I feel good that I'm preserving the Thai buffaloes so they will not disappear," Noppadol said.

spk-joe/mtp

Paris, France |

Thousands of people massed outside the Moulin Rouge caberet on Sunday night for a fireworks and French can-can extravaganza to mark the 130th anniversary of the storied Montmartre institution.

Police blocked off the boulevard for the event, which began with music and a light show projected onto the iconic red windmill, recounting the venue's Belle Epoque origins.

A sole dancer then appeared on the roof, braving the autumn chill in one of the caberet's skimpy sequined costumes -- though she was not topless, presumably a nod to the families in the crowd.

Then, as fireworks boomed overhead -- red, naturally, later mixed with whites and blues -- around 50 long-legged dancers wearing the same colours emerged to perform their famous can-can.

Yiftah Bar-Akiva, an Israeli who has lived in Paris for 11 years, was sipping champagne from a flute glass with friends who came for the party.

"It's as mythical as the Eiffel Tower, it's like a piece of history of the Belle Epoque," he said.

"I don't think it's disrespectful of women, I think it's still art," he added. "It's not like it's a peepshow!"

Joanna Cavarzan travelled from her home near the city of Chartres, not far from Paris, with a friend, Joe McGinty, who was visiting from Toronto.

"I've never been inside, and I was hoping to see a little bit what it was like," Cavarzan said.

But like many in the crowd, she could hardly see the dancers -- no stage had been set up on the boulevard for their show.  

Opened in 1889 -- the same year as the Eiffel Tower was completed -- the Moulin Rouge has become a must-see for millions of tourists to the French capital, even if only from the outside.

The two nightly shows, two hours each, are almost always sold out seven nights a week, 365 nights a year, with tourists and locals attending in roughly even numbers.

The cabaret has also become a touchstone in popular culture, not only with Baz Luhrmann's 2001 hit film but before that in 1952 with John Huston's version starring Zsa Zsa Gabor.

js/har

Johannesburg, South Africa |

Clad in an array of capes, masks, pointy elf ears and spectacular face paint, comics fans gathered in South Africa's biggest city this weekend for the second edition of Comic Con Africa.  

Dressed as their favourite superhero, fans of cosplay -- a portmanteau for costume play -- strolled around Johannesburg's Gallager convention centre, meeting writers, illustrators and fellow enthusiasts.

"It's the first time I've been here. I have heard so much about it so I wanted to experience it," said Nishen Deepchand, peering out from a black Batman mask.

"I've teamed up with Tinkerbell as well. It's a special love affair but nobody knows about it so make sure you don't tell Batgirl."

Sponsors of the four-day event, which opened on Saturday, are expecting 60,000 attendees - a unique opportunity for new creators to showcase their work.

Guests of honour this year included Loyiso Mkize, the artist behind South Africa's first superhero.

Mkize's three-volume illustrated story of "Kwezi" - a 19-year old boy in South Africa who discovers he has superpowers - has been a hit in the country.  

"The fan base has grown to now in the tens of thousands," Mkize told AFP. "That's an amazing feat, particularly for an industry in South Africa where we thought there was no industry."

Mkize is among a growing movement of African illustrators striving to bring more diversity to the global comic scene.

Since 2013, Nigerian start-up Comic Republic have created a series of superheroes referred to as "Africa's Avengers"by fans. 

And in 2015 Nigerian-born Roye Okupe launched the futuristic saga "E.X.O. - The Legend of Wale Williams".

Last year, Marvel studios released "Black Panther", the first superhero blockbuster featuring an entirely black cast.

"Creating South Africa's first superhero was the first leg," said Mkize. "But continuing that legacy and continuing the story and the narrative along with our readers has been the journey".