内容摘要：Fourteen people have been arrested in Spain and Portugal in a series of raids targeting a €1tn (£828bn) criminal, money-laundering network working with gangs across Europe.

Fourteen people have been arrested in Spain and Portugal in a series of raids targeting a €1tn (£828bn) criminal, money-laundering network working with gangs across Europe.

Politics in other Western countries has long been wrapped up in polarised debates surrounding immigration but until recently Canada had mostly avoided that issue, perhaps because of its geography. Now, however, there appears to be a profound shift in attitude.In 2022, 27% of Canadians said there were too many immigrants coming into the country, according to a survey by data and research organisation the Environics Institute for Survey Research. By 2024, that number had increased to 58%.

Campaign groups have sprung up too and there have been marches protesting against immigration in Ottawa, Vancouver and Calgary, and elsewhere around the country."I would say it was very much taboo, like no one would really talk about it," explains Peter Kratzar, a software engineer and the founder of Cost of Living Canada, a protest group that was formed in 2024. "[But] things have really unfrozen."Stories like that of the bathroom for rent in Brampton have fuelled this, he suggests: "People might say, like, this is all anecdotal evidence. But the evidence keeps popping up. You see it over and over again."

"People became concerned about how the immigration system was being managed," adds Keith Neuman, executive director at the Environics Institute for Survey Research. "And we believe it's the first time the public really thought about the management of the system."Once the golden boy of Canadian politics, prime minister Justin Trudeau, resigned on 6 January during a crucial election year, amid this widespread discontent over immigration levels.

His approval levels before his resignation were just 22% - a far cry from the first year of his premiership, when 65% of voters said they approved of him.

Though immigration is not the main reason for his low approval levels nor his resignation - he cited "having to fight internal battles" - he was accused of acting too late when dealing with rising anxiety over inflation and housing that many blamed, in part, on immigration."The People's Parade will act as a step-change for our city to communicate that it is not only a place of heritage but also of innovation and creativity," she said.

"It will do this on our streets, in our libraries and around our neighbourhoods - and we hope everyone will play their part."Councillor Jane Ashworth, leader of Stoke-on-Trent City Council, said the parade would be the "highlight of the festivities", adding it would be fun and inclusive.

Stoke-on-Trent obtained city status from His Majesty King George V in 1925, as the monarch recognised the area's considerable contribution to the pottery industry.People who have self-published stories could be in line to sit among more widely known authors as a city hunts to sum up its 100-year history through literature.