Germany extends lockdown but paves way to relax more rules

Germany is extending its coronavirus shutdown by three weeks until March 28, but easing some restrictions to allow non-essential stores and other businesses to reopen in areas with relatively low infection rates. After about nine hours of talks, Chancellor Angela Merkel and the governors of the country's 16 states agreed on Wednesday to measures aimed at balancing concern over the impact of more contagious coronavirus variants with a growing clamour for a return to a more normal life.