Top Asian News 3:56 a.m. GMT

LADING-LADING, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesian soldiers have pulled a man alive from the rubble of a large mosque flattened by an earthquake, while thousands of homeless locals wait for aid and stranded tourists camp at beaches and in the lobbies of damaged hotels. The north of the island of Lombok has been devastated by the magnitude 7.0 quake that struck Sunday night and rescuers are faced with thousands of damaged buildings while still struggling to reach all the affected areas. Video shot by a soldier shows rescuers shouting "Thank God" as a man is pulled from a space under the Jabal Nur mosque's flattened roof Monday.

Soldiers have pulled a man alive from the rubble of a large mosque that collapsed in northern Lombok during Sunday night's powerful earthquake. Video shot by a soldier on Monday shows the rescuers shouting "Thank God" as the man is pulled out from a space under the Jabal Nur mosque's flattened roof and staggers away from the ruins supported by soldiers. "You're safe, mister," says one of the soldiers as emotion overcomes the saved man and villagers crowd around him. The north of Lombok has been devastated by the magnitude 7.0 quake and rescuers are struggling to reach all the affected areas.

TOKYO (AP) — Hiroshima marked the anniversary of the Aug. 6, 1945, atomic bombing of the city with a somber ceremony Monday to remember those killed and injured and a call to eliminate nuclear weapons amid hopes of denuclearizing North Korea. Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui opened his speech by describing the hellish scene of the blast that morning 73 years ago and the agony of the victims, telling the audience to listen "as if you and your loved ones were there." Then he raised concerns about the global rise of egocentrism and tensions, and urged Japan's government to take more leadership toward achieving a truly nuclear-free world.

FUKUYAMA, Japan (AP) — It's a sunny summer morning in the city of Hiroshima, Japan. Cicadas chirp in the trees. A lone plane flies high overhead. Then a flash of light, followed by a loud blast. Buildings are flattened and smoke rises from crackling fires under a darkened sky. Over two years, a group of Japanese high school students has been painstakingly producing a five-minute virtual reality experience that recreates the sights and sounds of Hiroshima before, during and after the U.S. dropped an atomic bomb on the city 73 years ago Monday. By transporting users back in time to the moment when a city was turned into a wasteland, the students and their teacher hope to ensure that something similar never happens again.

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia's racism watchdog said on Monday the country is experiencing a resurgence in lawmakers exploiting race to advance their political agendas and listed ethnic Chinese and Sudanese among the minorities who are suffering. Tim Soutphommasane said in the final speech of his five-year tenure as race discrimination commissioner that as politicians take advantage of voter fears of some ethnic groups, sections of the Australian media are exploiting racism to earn revenue from racist audiences. "I take no pleasure in saying this but, right now, it feels like there has never been a more exciting time to be a dog-whistling politician or race-baiting commentator in Australia," Soutphommasane said at a Sydney university.

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Imran Khan's party on Monday officially nominated the cricket star-turned-politician to be Pakistan's next prime minister. To assume office, Khan will face a vote in parliament — perhaps as early as Saturday — in which he will have to defeat a rival candidate fielded by the opposition. Khan's Tahreek-e-Insaf party won the most parliament seats in last month's general elections — 115 — but fell short of a majority in the 342-seat assembly, requiring it to form a coalition. Many lawmakers who won as independents in the July 25 vote have joined his coalition. Tahreek-e-Insaf leader Arif Alvi, a lawmaker elected from Karachi, said Khan was formally nominated at a party meeting in Islamabad on Monday.

ISLAMABAD (AP) — A Pakistani health official says authorities have launched a week-long anti-polio campaign touted as a 'final push' against the crippling disease. Its aim is to vaccinate millions of children under 5 years of age. Dr. Rana Safdar, the campaign's national coordinator, says the campaign was launched on Monday amid tight security in 89 districts and towns with a total of 110,000 health workers who will fan out vaccinate 19.2 million children. He says the campaign will last for four days in some areas. Polio is still endemic in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria. But with just three cases reported this year, Pakistan is close to completely eradicating the disease.

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Police in Bangladesh's capital fired tear gas and rubber bullets Monday to disperse hundreds of demonstrating students, while a prominent human rights group demanded the release of an activist arrested for criticizing the government during more than a week of protests. Shahidul Alam, a well-known photographer and activist, was arrested Sunday by plain-clothed police after giving a television interview in which he said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had no credibility and was using "brute force" to cling to power. A court in Dhaka ordered him to be confined for seven days for questioning on charges of spreading false information and propaganda against the government.

HONG KONG (AP) — A journalists' association in Hong Kong says it will defy the Chinese government and follow through with a planned speech by a pro-independence activist that has become a mounting political flashpoint in the city. China's foreign ministry asked the Foreign Correspondents Club this month to cancel a talk by Andy Chan of the Hong Kong National Party. The request raised questions about Beijing's growing influence in the former British colony, which was promised semi-autonomy and freedom of speech as part of a 1997 handover arrangement. Current and former Hong Kong leaders have criticized the FCC for hosting Chan, whose party is facing a possible ban on national security grounds.

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council adopted new guidelines Monday to try to speed the delivery of humanitarian aid to North Korea, where the U.N. says around 10 million people need food and other assistance and about 20 percent of children are stunted because of malnutrition. The Netherlands, which chairs the Security Council committee monitoring sanctions against North Korea, said none of the 15 council members objected to the proposed guidelines by the deadline on Monday afternoon. The guidelines will now be sent to all 193 U.N. member states. Tough U.N. sanctions imposed on North Korea in response to its escalating nuclear and ballistic missile programs exempt delivery of humanitarian aid.