Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister has warned that Iran must be stopped from becoming a nuclear power in order to “prevent another Hiroshima."

Danny Ayalon, who is on a four-day official visit to Japan, made the comments after visiting the memorial for victims of the 1945 Hiroshima bomb.

An estimated 140,000 people were killed by the Hiroshima bomb, the first time that an atomic weapon was used.

Mr Ayalon wrote on his Facebook page: “If we want to prevent another Hiroshima the international community needs immediately to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.”

David Cameron spent last week in China trying to stake Britain's claim to a piece of the Chinese ecomonic boom. One man who knows all about China's rapid industrial growth is the acclaimed Israel-born, UK-based photographer, Nadav Kander.

Israel has hailed the release of Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, as a step towards freedom in the Asian country.

A Foreign Ministry spokesman said: “Israel warmly welcomes the release from prolonged house arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi.

“We hope that her walking free will constitute a first step for the advance of democratisation and national reconciliation in [Burma].”

The Nobel Laureate was released on Saturday after spending almost 15 of the last 21 years under house arrest.

Erica Lyons runs Asia's brand-new Jewish magazine, Asian Jewish Life, from a small office in central Hong Kong. It is the region's "Jewish cultural headquarters", she jokes with her office mate, a journalist who presides over Hong Kong's Jewish Film Festival.

But while they may poke fun at their fledgling project, the magazine's launch this January is a symptom of real change in Asian Jewry. Whereas far-flung communities in places like India and China are often regarded as exotic relics of the past, Jewish life in the region is undergoing a renaissance.

Israeli backpackers have become a familiar sight around Asian destinations like Thailand and India. Now China wants to be part of the lucrative Israeli tourism market.

The Chinese tourism minister, Shao Qiwei, has announced plans to encourage tourism links between the two countries.

Following a meeting with his Israeli counterpart in Shanghai, he described the country as an intriguing holiday spot and said that the two countries will hold a joint tourism conference.

In February 2008, a fig tree was mauled in Bodh Gaya, India. Allegations focused on a thick branch of the tree that was mysteriously lopped off and sold in Thailand in 2006. The branch reappeared for sale on the black market; accusations of corruption followed. Apparently, police never resolved the case; it was hard to conclude whether the tree had been legitimately pruned, or whether the nefarious activities of the black marketeers were to blame. Nowadays, the tree is surrounded by protective railings.