BBC News with Nick Kelly

The German Chancellor Angela Merkel says her country's attempts to build a multicultural society have, in her words, "utterly failed". Addressing a meeting of her conservative CDU party, Mrs Merkel said the practice of people from different cultural backgrounds living peacefully side by side was not working in Germany. More from Steve Evans in Berlin.

Mrs Merkel told the conference that immigrants must learn to speak German, so they could compete in the job market. Anyone who does not immediately speak German, she said, is not welcome. Mrs Merkel has now joined an increasingly hot debate. The president of Germany said two weeks ago that Islam was part of the country. Other political leaders have disagreed. The opinion polls indicate that there is much support for those who are uneasy about immigration. Mrs Merkel has put her weight behind that view.

There have been more large demonstrations across France against pension reforms. Protesters also stopped work at most of France's oil refineries. The government wants to raise the retirement age to 62. Hugh Schofield reports from Paris.

A group of what the police describe as anarchists operated on the fringes of the main demonstration, and as it drew to a close, they began ransacking cafe terraces, breaking windows and setting fire to bins. Some of them briefly occupied the Opera House at Bastille. The clashes did not last long, but they are a reminder to both the government and unions of how quickly things can get out of hand. Across the country, there were some 250 marches, once again drawing large crowds. Unions speak of three million participants, but the government says the figure was less than one million.