the australian state of victoria is extending its lockdown by another week as authorities battle to control a growing virus outbreak. officials say people have been catching the virus from "fleeting" encounters in a melbourne outbreak of the b.1.617.1 strain, now named the kappa variant by the world health organization. australia's second most—populous state will now be locked down until the 10th ofjune. after 12 years in power, it looks like the long rule of israel's prime minister benjamin netanyahu could finally be coming to an end. 0pposition parties are finalising plans for a new government that would remove him from office and they have until midnight to reach an agreement. there are reports that the centrist politician tasked with pulling together the coalition, yair lapid, hopes to make an announcement soon. 0ur diplomatic correspondent paul adams reports. israel's parliament met this morning.