Bloomberg: Australia, including its island state of Tasmania, sweltered under temperatures as high as 48 degrees Celsius (118 degrees Fahrenheit), even emptying Melbourne beaches after lifeguards said the sand was so hot it burned bathers’ feet. Tennis players at the Australian Open in Melbourne endured the hottest stretch in recorded history, with the Victoria regional office reporting three straight days of 43-degree-plus heat. Tasmania, home to the endangered Tasmanian devil marsupial, …