Switzerland today

Greetings from Bern,

My morning routine starts with a nice cup of coffee as I wait for my brain cells to wake up slowly.

Swiss coffee giant Nespresso had a rude wakeup call this week when it received a shipment of something more stimulating than coffee beans at their factory.
 

A new Swiss embassy is born. Keystone / Pascal Lauener Handout

In the news: Wooing the Vatican, cocaine surprise and crisis lessons

• Swiss President Ignazio Cassis visited the Vatican to officially mark the creation of a Swiss embassyExternal link to the Holy See. Until now, the Swiss ambassador to Slovenia was responsible for diplomatic relations with the city state. Cassis will also meet Pope Francis and attend the swearing in of the new batch of Swiss Papal Guards. 
• While unloading a shipment of coffee beans, workers at the Nespresso factory in Romont were surprised to see a white powder leaking from some of the sacks. They contacted the police who identified the substance as cocaineExternal link. Over 500 kilos were seized from five containers shipped from Brazil. 
• The cantons shared their findings about how well they were able to work with the federal government to contain the Covid pandemic. The verdict was that communication could have been betterExternal link. Contradictory messaging, legal uncertainty and financial dilly dallying hampered a more coordinated effort to protect the population. The report also called for creating a permanent, cross-departmental federal crisis management team that involves the cantons for crisis situations.

Keystone / Dumitru Doru

Readers’ comments: Are Ukrainian refugees receiving special treatment?

SWI swissinfo.ch asked its readers from the Arabic-speaking world what they felt about a special immigration status being accorded for the first time to refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine. Some complained about preferential treatment for Europeans and double standards while others chided Middle Eastern countries for not doing enough for fleeing Syrians.