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People queue for ice cream at Sydney's Bondi Beach on Thursday: Photo Saverio Marfia/Getty Images

Australia smashed its hottest day record just one day after it was set, preliminary findings from the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) released Thursday show.

A tweet previously embedded here has been deleted or was tweeted from an account that has been suspended or deleted.

The big picture: The country has also experienced its worst ever spring for wildfire danger, the BOM said in a climate statement Wednesday.

  • The driest spring on record has left more than 95% of Australia experiencing dangerous fire weather that has been above average, and much of the country is in severe drought.
  • The historic heat wave comes as firefighters continue to fight wildfires across the country. The Australian state of New South Wales declared a seven-day state of emergency Thursday.

What they're saying: Blair Trewin, a senior climatologist with the BOM, said in a video posted to the agency's website that many areas would shatter hottest December records and perhaps even the hottest temperature for any time of the year, with Saturday forecast to be a particularly searing day.

Read the climate report:

Go deeper: In photos: Wildfires rage across Australia amid historic heat wave

Editor's note: This article has been updated to include the new temperature record details.

Go deeper

New era for local journalism

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

New, independent digital outlets and nonprofits have begun to fill some of the gap left by fading local newspapers. Limited resources and the pandemic have driven many toward providing community news, information and services rather than traditional accountability journalism.

Why it matters: "It's not just about a legal or structural shift, but it also represents a shift in how the mission of journalism is changing," said Emily Roseman, research director & editor at the Institute for Nonprofit News (INN).

7 hours ago - World

Hong Kong police arrest 6 people after Stand News raid

Patrick Lam, acting editor-in-chief of Stand News (C), is escorted by officers with the Hong Kong Police Force's national security department during a raid of the media outlet's offices in Hong Kong on Wednesday. Photo: Paul Yeung/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Hong Kong police said Wednesday they arrested six people at Stand News for "conspiracy to publish seditious publications" after over 200 national security officers raided the online pro-democracy news outlet.

Why it matters: It's the latest blow to free speech, independent journalism and the democracy movement in Hong Kong since China's government passed a draconian national security law last year, which has encroached on the autonomy that had seen it flourish as a global financial hub.

Updated 9 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid dies at 82

Photo: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) died at 82 Tuesday "following a courageous, four-year battle with pancreatic cancer," his wife, Landra Reid announced.

The big picture: The influential politician was Senate majority leader from 2007 to 2015, and served in Congress for more than three decades. Both President Biden and former President Obama said Reid was a "great" Senate leader.

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