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We all love a good breakfast, which is probably why most restaurants these days have come up with their own breakfast menus and open as early as seven in the morning. We believe a good breakfast sets the tone of your day. But as lovely as an occasional breakfast or brunch outing can be, we are in no way suggesting you eat out on a regular basis. In fact, most fancy breakfast items you find in restaurants can easily be replicated at home. The good thing is that you don’t need to put in a lot of time and effort and it can save you a lot of money in the long run. Here are eight quick and easy breakfast ideas that can give you a much-needed energy boost in the morning. Most don’t require any advanced preparation while some might need you to put in a few minutes of kitchen time before you retire for the night.

Oats banana pancake

This protein rich breakfast delicacy does not need any pre-preparation. You can whip up delicious pancakes in under 15 minutes. It’s filling, nutritious, and simply delicious. Serve the pancakes with the side of fruits for a complete meal. Mash two bananas in a bowl, add an egg and whisk it until smooth. Add half a cup of oil along with a teaspoon of baking powder, and a pinch of baking soda. Grind two cups of oats and add it to the wet ingredients in the bowl. Add water or milk to make a smooth batter, which should neither be too runny nor too thick. Grease a pan with butter and pour small rounds of batter into it. Wait until you see bubbles on the surface of the pancake and then flip it to cook the other side. Since you’re using oats, you might have to cook the pancakes for a few minutes extra then you would have to while using regular flour.

Mango chia pudding 

For this amazing breakfast item that tastes a little bit like dessert, you need to soak chia seeds overnight. The rest of it is just chopping and assembling ingredients when it’s time for breakfast. It is perfect for summer when you don’t want to have a hot breakfast early in the morning. You can also enjoy this as a snack in the afternoon. Soak two tablespoons of chia seeds in a cup of yogurt and keep it in the refrigerator overnight. When it’s time for breakfast, transfer the pudding into a bowl, drizzle some honey, and top with chopped mangoes. You can also substitute mangoes with strawberries, blueberries, or any other seasonal fruit. Packed with protein, fiber, and other essential nutrients, this breakfast will keep you full for a long time.

Toast with a twist

Toast is a quintessential breakfast item. Traditionally served with butter, jam, or other such spreads, it is something that everybody likes. These days, toasted with avocado has become popular in many restaurants. Our version is a spinoff to that and is just as delicious and nutritious. Cut off the edges of two slices of bread and lay them flat on a baking tray. In another bowl, mash two boiled eggs and add some finely chopped onions and coriander to it. You can also add tomatoes if you want. Add salt and pepper according to taste to this mix and slather it on the slices of bread. Top it with a slice of cheese and let it back in the oven at medium heat for 15 minutes. You’re loaded toast that tastes a little bit like pizza is ready to be enjoyed.

Baked potato bonanza 

You need large sized potatoes for this recipe, which is really simple to make and tastes like an absolute dream. Thoroughly wash two large potatoes and leave their skin intact. Bring a pot of water to boil and add the potatoes, letting it cook for about 15 minutes. Don’t fully cook the potatoes. Drain the water and cut the potatoes in half lengthwise. Spread the thin layer of butter or on top of the potatoes. Add some grated garlic and finely chopped green chilies. Sprinkle salt and pepper and top with grated cheese. Pop it in the oven and bake for 30 minutes in medium heat or until the cheese melts and you get a slightly charred smell. You can serve this carb and protein rich dish with a side of lightly steamed vegetables. It’s a wholesome meal that will keep you satiated for hours.

Cinnamon delight

This one will blow your mind. Be warned that it’s not as healthy and wholesome as the other items on this list but it’s definitely food for your soul. You need a thick slice of bread for this. It should be double the thickness of a regular slice of bread. You can buy fresh, uncut bread at the bakery and slice it yourself. In a large bowl, mix a cup of milk with one teaspoon of cinnamon powder and two tablespoons of brown sugar. Give it a stir so that there are no lumps in the mixture. Grease a pan with butter. Dip the bread slice in the cinnamon mixture, making sure you coat both sides. Toast it on the pan after the butter starts sizzling, cooking both sides for two minutes each. The result will be a gooey cake like toast that melts in your mouth. Since this is mostly carbs, we suggest you serve it with some scrambled eggs and fruits on the side to make it a complete meal.

Yogurt fruit bowl

This is by far one of the healthiest things you can have for breakfast. It’s a great source of probiotic and fiber, leading to good gut health. Apart from being filling and nutrient-dense, it’s also delicious and you might just get hooked to it. You can use regular yogurt or blend a fruit with yogurt to get a creamy base. Then add that to a bowl, and add a teaspoon of honey to it. You can also add a bit of your favorite syrup to give it that extra flavor. This goes into the base of your bowl. Top the yogurt with pumpkin and sunflower seeds, sliced almonds, crushed walnuts, and a handful of raisins. Next, chop fruits of your choice and layer them over the yogurt as well, creating an interesting mix of colors. Sprinkle coconut powder on top of the fruits and seeds and your delicious fruit bowl is ready.

Tangy chana chaat

If you aren’t a fan of sweet breakfasts, then this is for you. You just have to soak a cup of chana or black gram overnight. Then you can quickly whip up this dish in the pressure cooker the next morning. Chana is known to have anti aging benefits, improve hemoglobin levels, control blood sugar, and promote heart health among others. Heat oil in a pressure cooker and add cumin seeds and dried red chilis to it. Allow it to sizzle. Add the overnight soaked chana to it and let it roast for about a minute before putting in salt and turmeric. Add half a cup of chopped tomatoes and mix it well. Pour one cup of water and let it cook for four to five whistles. Once cooked, transfer it to a serving dish and add chopped onions and coriander to it and mix well. Squeeze half a lime and serve hot. You can also have this with lightly toasted bread or plain roti.

Moong dal chilla

Chilla is basically a savory lentil pancake that is traditionally had for breakfast. It’s easy to prepare and rich in protein which makes it a good option for breakfast. You can also use chickpea flour (besan) to make these yummy pancakes but we recommend moong dal for its perfect taste and texture. Soak a cup of moong dal overnight and grind it in the blender the next morning. In the blender, add half an inch of ginger, two to three cloves of garlic, a teaspoon of cumin seeds, a few green chilis, and salt, along with the soaked moong dal and blend until you get a smooth paste. Ensure there are no lumps in it. Next, chop one medium tomato and onion and add this to the batter as well. Heat and grease a girdle and spread the batter in a thin circle. Let it cook for a minute or two before flipping it over. Serve the chilla hot with mint chutney.

Climate change or environmental degradation has been one of the most severe predicaments that the present world is helplessly facing. Various scholars use terms or phrases such as ‘an accruing challenge to both human and non-human community’, ‘recipe for multi-factorial disaster’ or ‘global vulnerability’ to encapsulate the extent of envisioned/experienced difficulty and hardship. As a discourse that forms part of key global discussions, it has humongous control over almost all intellectual forums, political plenaries, summits, academic plenums and research rigors/attempts.

Sagarmatha Sambad, one of the highly-touted events in our nation, also holds the same theme as the critically cardinal issue. Many countries go fairly vocal to unfold verbal solidarity on each of proposed collective initiatives to mitigate the climate-induced consequences. Despite deepening concerns, climate change warning has been a several-fold soft power political tool of supposed world-power nations to extend hegemony and impose their colonial attitude on others.

Concept of development that the power-nations have enforced is itself grossly anti-climactic. Development is falsified in construction of skyrocketing RCC buildings and expansions of roads unwisely to every nook and corner of the village. Road networks, multiplex commercial buildings and physical infrastructure built in a haphazard manner are understood and misjudged as key indicators of development, in an alarming avalanche of capitalism.

Our past development efforts were on pathways of climate resilience and bio-friendly living. All the materials used in construction of houses and buildings were decomposable and soil adjustable. Eco-centric perspective was systematized. The current parameters of development, which western nations purported, presented and utterly prescribed to the rest of the world, are responsible for climate catastrophe and an infinite ecocide. Western countries’ consistent immersion on theorizing development as roads, factories, buildings, cities, vehicles and infrastructure—mostly in grossly unmethodical and disorganized manner—at the expense of greenery is mainly responsible for the climate crisis of this day and age.     

Nepal is not a carbon-emitting nation. Much of emission originates from the same countries that tell other countries to control it. Countries with minimal emission footprints, often addressed as non-emitters, are suffering and grappling with the grim and grave danger as much as net-emitters.
Out of a total 37.55 gigatonnes of emission in 2023, Nepal has only 0.04 percent share. Nonetheless, proportionate and uniformed damage in all sectors are equally severe as in the emitting countries.
Those powerful nations (the big emitters) have almost and already achieved the expected level of development. Their levels of industrialization and urbanization are way above than that of many other nations. High-emitting countries have big factories, largest road networks, many industries, rapid and robust expansion of infrastructure and the biggest corporations. Those western and Euro-American nations have been trying every bit to bar other nations from achieving this feat. Most of the international convents and conventions, especially those that western power countries generate or promulgate, focus around disarmament, global war, confrontations and so on.

In fact, not any veto out of 279 practices in its history—from the maiden use on 16 Feb 1946 till the recent one on 24 April 2024—has been yet used or positioned for climate justice. All international communities and organizations have become mute bystanders and numb stamps when it comes to making global commitments on curbing climate change and walking the talk.

Why should Nepal be condemned and convicted for the crime it did not commit? The big emitters should admit their guilt rather than alarming the rest and pay due compensation to non-emitting nations like Nepal.

In a step towards operationalizing the Paris Agreement’s carbon market, a UN supervisory body has adopted key standards to guide how emission-reducing projects are measured and credited. These new rules—established under the Paris Agreement Crediting Mechanism (PACM)—aim to ensure the generation of high-integrity carbon credits, supporting global climate goals while opening new opportunities for countries like Nepal to participate in international carbon finance.

PACM allows countries and private actors to collaborate on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, using a standardized framework to issue verified carbon credits. Two major standards were adopted during the recent meeting: one to determine the emission baselines (i.e., what would have happened without the project), and another to account for unintended emissions, known as ‘leakage’, that might occur elsewhere due to a project’s implementation.

The baseline standard requires a downward adjustment of emissions—starting with a 10 percent reduction below historical norms and continuing with at least a one percent decline annually. This move is aimed at avoiding over-crediting and increasing the climate integrity of the system. The leakage standard, meanwhile, mandates that all emissions displaced due to a project—such as increased deforestation in nearby areas—are accounted for. For REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) projects, alignment with national strategies is a prerequisite.

For Nepal, these decisions could be game-changing. With its extensive forest cover, successful history of community forestry, and national REDD+ framework already in place, Nepal is well-positioned to participate in PACM. The new rules provide clarity and credibility that can enhance Nepal’s ongoing conservation and reforestation efforts, ensuring they qualify for international carbon finance. Additionally, Nepal’s clean cookstove initiatives—which aim to reduce indoor air pollution and biomass use—could align with the Supervisory Body’s decision to bring older projects in line with the latest methodologies.

“We finally adopted a groundbreaking decision ensuring crediting levels are set consistently with a pathway to net neutrality, through a process of minimum downward adjustment of crediting levels over time,” said Martin Hession, chair of the Supervisory Body.

Maria AlJishi, vice-chair of the Supervisory Body, added: “These standards provide the clarity developers need to begin designing activities under the Paris Agreement Crediting Mechanism and are key to fully operationalizing it.”

For countries like Nepal, which are rich in natural resources but financially constrained, these developments offer more than just environmental benefits—they open the door to new streams of climate finance. The Supervisory Body also emphasized equitable benefit-sharing and capacity building, which could further assist Nepal in developing the institutional and technical systems required to effectively participate in PACM.

In support of national ownership and equity, the Body has also initiated discussions on how to ensure project benefits are fairly distributed in host countries. A dedicated consultation process and enhanced country engagement tools are expected to help countries like Nepal secure their share of mitigation benefits.

Despite the progress, the transition from older mechanisms like the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) is expected to result in a short-term funding gap, as the pipeline for PACM projects is still in development. However, the first PACM methodologies are expected to be approved by the end of 2025, potentially enabling Nepal and others to begin designing eligible projects from 2026 onward.

As the global carbon market enters this new phase of integrity-focused evolution, Nepal has the opportunity to position itself as a regional leader in sustainable carbon project development—if it can mobilize the right strategies, partnerships, and institutional readiness.

Twenty three-year-old Samana Karki (name changed) woke up one early morning after receiving a barrage of disturbing messages. Someone had misused her photo to create a fake Facebook account to disseminate inappropriate contents. Karki was shocked. “I felt helpless,” she recalls.

Karki’s story reflects a broader, alarming trend of online harassment and misuse of digital platforms, raising questions about user safety and accountability in Nepal’s digital landscape.

According to DataReportal, 16.5m internet users were identified in Jan 2025, making up 55.8 percent of Nepal’s total population. As new media technologies, like social media, enable users to interact in two-way communication, the misuse of it has also grown. Most of these crimes appear on social media platforms like Facebook, Messenger, TikTok, WhatsApp, and Instagram.

Ramesh Thapa, central spokesperson of Nepal Police, says that social media as a tool for information sharing is being misused as a medium for cybercrime in recent days. As per Nepal Police, Annual Factsheet on Cyber Crime, complaints related to cybercrime increased by 119 percent in the fiscal year 2023/24 compared to 2022/23. The highest number of cybercrime cases was registered at the Cyber Bureau, while Sudurpashchim Province recorded the lowest. Among those affected, 44.32 percent were women.

Individuals facing harassment on social media in Nepal are protected under various legal provisions. Section 47 of the Electronic Transaction Act, 2063, criminalizes the act of teasing, harassing, or insulting an individual through an electronic medium. In sections 47 (1) and (2), there is a penalty for the culprit, a charging fine of Rs 100,000 and imprisonment of five years in case if anyone teases, rags, humiliates, or disrespects an individual through undignified activities, using online.

Additionally, Section 300 of the National Criminal Code, 2017 penalizes anyone with malicious intent to instill fear, distress, or uses written communication or digital media to threaten, annoy, tease, or defame another person. The offenders can face the punishment of imprisonment for up to one year, a fine up to Rs 10,000 or both.

Despite these legal provisions, Advocate Sulochana Dhital says: “The case of fraudulent activities, revelation of privacy, blackmailing have not been addressed independently. They don’t get much legal attention, and many women, girls, and even minors become victims due to the lack of sufficient legal provisions or remedies.”

An example that sheds light on this problem is the case of  Bina Rai (name changed), who was a victim of online fraud in Saptari. She received a WhatsApp message from someone posing as a government official offering financial assistance. Believing the message, she shared her personal details and made a payment. After reaching out several times after payment, and when follow-up communication stopped, Rai realized she had been scammed. Rai realized women's vulnerability in digital spaces where digital literacy and awareness are still lacking. She fears that her personal information might be used for inappropriate purposes.

Advocate Surendra Tiwari, of Imperial Law Associates, says: “To tackle the growing issue of digital crimes such as hacking and online fraud in Nepal, several improvements are necessary in the country’s cyber laws and enforcement mechanisms. The Electronic Transaction Act regulates the matters relating to offenses through electronic media in Nepal, but the cases of online harassment are still increasing, which indicates that the existing legal provisions are insufficient, so making their amendment is an absolute necessity.”

He adds: “There is still a significant lack of professionals necessary to investigate cybercrime cases and a lack of public awareness regarding online fraud. Many people still use weak passwords and fall for scams by clicking on any suspicious links, making it easier for hackers and scammers to gain access to the data of the people.”

Building on this concern, the spokesperson of Nepal police, Thapa, says: “The public must recognize the importance of the information shared by the police, as it plays a key role in preventing incidents like online fraud, identity theft, and cyberbullying.” He states that a collaborative awareness campaign under the Community Police Partnership is launched at the school and college level to promote cybersecurity awareness on a large scale. 

However, the rise of social media use, particularly among youth, has led to increasing cases of cyber abuse. One such example is Goma Poudel (name changed), who recalls the trauma of being blackmailed with private videos. “The widespread use of my videos is destroying me mentally,” she shares.  For her, the impact goes beyond privacy and is about psychological abuse, a digital violence that takes an immense mental toll. Poudel also reveals how she was blamed by society instead of being supported.

Addressing this societal perspective, Advocate Dhital says that women are objectified in various contexts, often blamed for being open to men, and face character assassination when they report online harassment. “This social stigma is coupled with fear in the police stations and even in the courts, where many staff are men, where women feel humiliated for repeating the same versions of harassment,” he says. 

Puja Neupane recalls how she fell victim to a job scam. A fraudster promised her a job in exchange for a Rs 50,000 advance payment. She later reported the issue, only to realize it had been a scam all along. “Had I known the consequences, I would never have handed the money in advance,” she says. Her case highlights the lack of awareness about cybercrime and the risk that accompanies Nepal’s digital transition.

In response to these rising cases, Advocate Tiwari says, the amendments to the existing laws of Nepal are required, along with the introduction of a new regulatory framework, as legal provisions that address online harassment remain largely ineffective. Both the enactment of comprehensive laws and their proper implementation are essential to ensure stronger legal protection for victims.

Tiwari says: “If the proposed Social Media Bill, which is currently under discussion in the Parliament, is enacted, then it will introduce a comprehensive regulatory framework targeting the misuse of social media platforms.”

Further, he shares that, the bill seeks to criminalize online behaviours that are currently widespread, including the use of social media as a tool for cyberbullying and harassment, creating fake ids, fraudulent transactions, hacking personal accounts or stealing sensitive information, and posting or sharing graphic or violent content, such as brutal photos or videos.  Nonetheless, Tiwari also acknowledges concerns. “If passed, this would bring many harmful online behaviours, including the use of social media to spread content related to gender violence, sexual harassment, prostitution, issues that  are prohibited under current laws,” he says.  “It may seek to curtail the freedom of expression at large and impact raw creativity and positive criticism.” He advocates a balanced approach to protect digital rights and safety.

With the continued expansion of digital media, there is a high probability of increased cybercrime in the future. In today’s world, where technology shapes nearly every aspect, understanding the complex effects of the digital landscape is essential. While these platforms can serve as an important tool for sharing information, they also pose threats when used irresponsibly. It is the urgent role of government bodies to take an active role in promoting digital safety and improving knowledge about cyber threats in a wider range, as it is urgent to address these issues.

Advocate Dhital underscores the need for a separate law that would focus only on cybercrime. “The existing law is the intermingling of many issues, resulting in being unable to incorporate many more issues related to cyber or online crime,” she says.

Dhital recommends a stronger penalty for repeated offences, along with free counselling and legal aid to victims to support their mental state. “Introducing an online harassment course in the school curriculum is also essential, as people’s daily lives are highly influenced by what they consume online. Understanding the dos and don’t of the internet in this digital age is critical,” she says.