The first of this year’s NAPLAN tests began nationwide on Tuesday.

Each year, the controversial test is supposed to collect data on students’ performance at different schools to be published online, and used to allocate resources.

This comes just as several schools were found to have been encouraging students with below average results to pull out of the test, so as to not affect the school’s data.

Health professionals are planning an urgent move to incentivise an increase in pneumonia vaccination rates among older Australians.

Statistics show a decrease of 50 percent in the number of seniors who take the vaccine to prevent the disease, a disease that claims 200 elderly lives each year.

Pneumonia can be caused by virus, bacteria or fungi causing the small air sacs of the lungs to fill with pus and fluid, making breathing painful, causing coughing and limiting oxygen intake.

More than 40 people are dead after a new wave of sand and thunderstorms hit northern Indian on Sunday according to local authorities.

Emergency officials also confirmed the catastrophe brought down walls, trees and power pylons in Uttar Pradesh state, killing at least 18 people.

The deaths come just 10 days after a sandstorm left more than 130 dead in the same region.

At least five students have been killed and dozens more reported missing after a bridge collapsed at a tourist site in the Pakistan region of Kashmir.

The structure, located in the mountainous Neelum district, reportedly gave way as dozens of university students crossed it to view a waterfall.

Although local authorities cannot confirm an exact figure, they believe 20 to 25 persons were standing on the footbridge when it collapsed.

According to the latest poll by The Australian, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s approval rating has seen its biggest jump since 2016.

An eight-point jump in his approval rating has taken the Liberal leader to 46 per cent, while Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has slipped three points to 32 per cent.

The gap between the government and Labor has widened as well with the coalition trailing 46 to 54 per cent, from 48 to 52 per cent, in two-party terms, according to the survey.

Logan Mayor Luke Smith is likely to be stood down in the coming months, should new laws pass through Queensland Parliament, government authorities have told the ABC.

Under the changes, councillors and mayors charged with serious breaches of office would be automatically suspended without pay.

In March, Mr Smith was charged by the Crime and Corruption Commission (CCC) with official corruption, two counts of perjury,  and failing to correct his register of interests. The mayor has vowed to strongly defend the charges.