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.