It provides municipal services to more than 800 cities and towns in Spain and to the millions who use the Madrid metro system.

FORBES: Rafael Del Pino y Calvo-Sotelo

The scientists compared the benzene exposure of 50 people in six cities in Belgium, Greece, Denmark, Spain, Italy and France.

BBC: Is your floor a health hazard?

People in Singapore came out as the fastest, with Copenhagen in Denmark, Madrid in Spain, Guangzhou in China and Dublin in Ireland in the top five worldwide cities.

BBC: NEWS | UK | Wales | South East Wales | City's slow pace of life revealed

The vote for town councillors in Spain's 8, 000 cities and villages, and for officials in 13 regional governments, is widely seen as the first test at the ballot box on whether Spaniards support or rebuke Aznar's conservative Popular Party for his support of the war.

CNN: Analysis: Spain seeks wider role

The Newcastle pilot - run by Newcastle University and the city council - is part of a project involving six other European cities in France, Denmark, The Netherlands, Greece, Italy and Spain.

BBC: Green light sat-nav trialled in Newcastle