[warm] This is NewsCard Daily for Wednesday January 28, 2026 — the biggest stories from Australia and around the world in just minutes.

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[serious] We begin in Victoria where the state has just shattered its all-time temperature record. The rural towns of Hopetoun and Walpeup reached a staggering 48.9 degrees Celsius — nearly 49 degrees — surpassing the previous benchmark set during the devastating Black Saturday bushfires in 2009. Melbourne itself came desperately close to its hottest day ever recorded. Three forest fires are burning out of control across the state, with dangerous winds gusting up to 70 kilometres an hour in the Otways region. Authorities have issued emergency shelter warnings for residents in Gellibrand and surrounding townships. The good news... temperatures are expected to drop Wednesday, though the heat wave will linger through the weekend.

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[curious] At Melbourne Park, the Australian Open tennis tournament became a ghost town as crowds plummeted from 50,000 on Monday to just 21,000 on Tuesday. Organisers equipped photographers with cushions to prevent heat injuries when sitting and covered cameras with towels to stop them malfunctioning in the brutal conditions. Fans crowded around giant misting stations and retreated into air-conditioned areas. It's one of Australia's hottest summers on record.

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[serious] In Canberra, there's a historic political earthquake. New polling reveals Pauline Hanson of One Nation now outpaces Liberal MP Sussan Ley as the preferred Prime Minister among voters. It's a dramatic shift that signals deep voter dissatisfaction with current leadership. The numbers come as Australians grapple with rising interest rates and back-to-school costs squeezing family budgets already battered by cost-of-living pressures.

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[urgent] Meanwhile in New South Wales, police continue hunting a suspected triple killer in the central-west region. The investigation remains active as authorities work to apprehend the suspect. In Brisbane, a major drug bust has led to court charges against two Sydney men after authorities seized heroin at the airport. And in Perth, a man has been charged over a bomb scare linked to Invasion Day rallies held on January 26.

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[hopeful] Overseas in Italy, Australian athletes have arrived for the 2026 Winter Olympics, bringing a spark of national pride as our winter sports contingent prepares to compete on the world stage.

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[warm] That's NewsCard Daily. For more top stories and quick summaries that keep you informed in minutes, download NewsCard — available in the App Store.