With wind turbines popping up haphazardly around Switzerland, the time has come for better planning and dialogue to avoid opposition which the machines provoke.

Switzerland is earmarking nearly a billion francs to clean up soil contaminated by heavy metals leached from spent bullets.

The government is pushing ahead with proposed spending cuts to the tune of SFr1.6 billion ($1.56 billion) annually until 2013 to balance the federal budget.