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The House of Representatives formed a parliamentary committee to investigate Finance Minister Janardan Sharma's alleged role in inviting two unauthorized persons to tweak taxes just before he presented the budget.

During the Parliament meeting held on Wednesday, Speaker Agni Prasad Sapkota formed an 11-member special committee.

The committee will have four members from the CPN-UML, two members each from the Nepali Congress and the CPN (Maoist Centre), and one member each from CPN (Unified Socialist), Janata Samajbadi Party and Democratic Socialist Party.

Khagraj Adhikari, Dev Prasad Gurung, Pushpa Bhusal, Pradeep Gyawali, Bhanubhakta Dhakal, Bimala BK, Laxman Lal Karna, Shakti Bahadur Basnet, Sarala Kumari Yadav, Sita Ram Mahato and Surendra Prasad Yadav are the members of the committee.

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) gained 13.33 points to close at 2,043.92 points on Wednesday.

Similarly, the sensitive index surged by 1.68 points to close at 388. 91 points.

Meanwhile, a total of 6,263,310 unit shares of 228 companies were traded for Rs 2. 17 billion.

In today’s market, all sub-indices saw green except for Banking, Life Insurance and Mutual Fund.

Meanwhile, Life Insurance Corporation (Nepal) Limited was the top gainer today, with its price surging by 10. 00 percent. NCC Debenture was the top loser as its price fell by 5. 89 percent.

At the end of the day, total market capitalisation stood at Rs 2. 91 trillion.

The government has announced a public holiday on Sunday on the occasion of Eid-al-Adha (Bakra Eid).

Home Ministry spokesperson Phanindra Mani Pokharel said that the government decided to give public holiday on Bakra Eid at the request of Muslim Commission.

CPN-UML Secretary Yogesh Bhattarai said that his party’s bottomline is that either Finance Minister Janardan resign himself or Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba remove him from the post.

Talking to journalists at the Parliament building in New Baneshwor on Wednesday, he said that Sharma committed the crime against the country by involving two unauthorised persons to tweak taxes a day before the budget was presented. That is why, Minister Sharma cannot remain in the post, he said.

Bhattarai said that Sharma made the government documents disappear and deleted the CCTV footage with ill intention.

He said that they have demanded a parliamentary committee to probe into the incident.

Leader Bhattarai further said that action should also be taken against other people of the Finance Ministry who deleted the CCTV footage.

The Central Committee meeting of the CPN (Maoist Centre) scheduled for today has been postponed till tomorrow.

According to Ganga Dahal, personal secretary of the party Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, the meeting has been postponed till 11 am tomorrow.

The meeting became uncertain after the ruling and the opposition parties demanded resignation of Finance Minister Janardan Sharma.

Leaders inside the party have been demanding investigation after the Finance Minister took one after another controversial step.

The Nepali Congress leaders have also been demanding the resignation of Finance Minister Sharma who has been embroiled in a series of controversies.

Party Chairman Dahal presented the agenda and political report in the meeting that started from Sunday.

Sharma is accused of inviting two unauthorized persons to change tax rates on the eve of the budget presentation for the next fiscal year 2022-23.

A child died after being struck by lightning in Solukhumbu on Tuesday.

The deceased has been identified as seven-year-old Sujan Tamang, the District Police Office, Solukhumbu said.

Inspector Gyan Bahadur Majhi said that Tamang died on the spot.

His mother Tak Maya Tamang was injured in the incident.

Tibetan refugees living in Nepal celebrated their religious leader Dalai Lama's 87th birthday on Wednesday.

Lama, a religious leader exiled from Tibet, has turned 87 today. He is the 14th Dalai Lama.

The birth anniversary program was coordinated by the Tibetan Refugee Welfare Office in Lazimpat.

The Tibetan Community celebrated the birthday of their religious leader Dalai Lama by organizing a program at Jawalakhel in Lalitpur.

The Tibetan refugees celebrated the birth anniversary of Lama wishing for world peace. They worshipped the portrait of Lama.

During the program, children of the Tibetan Community sang the national anthem of Nepal.

Chargé d’Affaires at the US Embassy Kathmandu Manuel P. Micaller and diplomats of Japan, France and European Union among others were present on the occasion.

Photo: Shambhu Kattel/ Saroj Baiju

The Tibetan refugees, who had been celebrating the birthday only inside the gumbas because of the Covid-19 pandemic, organized a grand event in the open ground in Jawalakhel this year.

A Tibetan Community leader claimed that the birthday of their religious leader was celebrated not for political motives but as per religious beliefs.

Tibetans living around the world have been celebrating the Dalai Lama's birthday on July 6.

A man accused of opening fire on a Fourth of July parade near Chicago has been charged with seven counts of murder, officials say, BBC reported.

Robert Crimo, 21, would be punished "for the killing spree he has unleashed against our community", Lake County State Attorney Eric Rinehart said.

The attack in Highland Park left seven dead and more than 30 others injured.

Mr Rinehart added that dozens more charges would be filed before the investigation was over.

"These are just the first of many charges that will be filed against Mr Crimo," he said to cheers and applause from the crowd gathered for the news conference on Tuesday. "I want to emphasise that. There will be more charges."

The suspect is accused of firing 70 bullets from a high-powered rifle down onto the crowd and disguising himself as a woman so he could escape alongside fleeing victims.

After an eight-hour manhunt on Monday, police arrested Mr Crimo and he was discovered with a second rifle similar to the one used in the attack.

Three other firearms were also found at his home. Police said the suspect had two prior contacts with law enforcement but was still able to purchase five guns in the past year, according to BBC.

In April 2019, police were called to his home one week after he reportedly attempted to take his own life. And in September 2019, police were called by a family member who said Mr Crimo had made violent threats to "kill everyone". 

Police responded and seized 16 knives, a dagger and a sword from his home. He was not arrested and no further action was taken. 

Officials on Tuesday called for an education campaign to raise awareness of the state's red flag laws, which allow a judge to order that a person deemed dangerous have their weapons seized and be barred from buying more guns. 

Mr Crimo is expected to appear in court on Wednesday.

Six of the victims have been named so far. They include:

• Irina McCarthy, 35, and Kevin McCarthy, 37 - The married couple died while protecting their two-year old son, who was uninjured
• Nicolas Toledo-Zaragoza, 78 - The Mexican father of eight was visiting family when he was shot in his wheelchair
• Jacquelyn Sundheim, 63, worked at a local synagogue in Highland Park, which has a large Jewish population

Two other victims, Katherine Goldstein, 64; and Stephen Straus, 88, have also been identified.