Measuring just 59.93 cm, Junrey Balawing, a Filipino who turned 18 today, was declared the world’s shortest man, taking over the title from a tiny Nepali.
Son of a Filipino blacksmith, Balawing stopped growing when he was a toddler.
Balawing was born in the rural town of Sindangan on the Philippines’ southern island of Mindanao. When he reached the age of two, he fell always sick and showed signs that he was no longer growing anymore. His parents had him checked by doctors but to no avail, Manila Bulletin reported.
Unable to find any medical remedy for Balawing’s physical condition, his parents slowly learned to accept their son’s fate, it said.
In 2010, the Guiness Book of Records had declared Khagendra Thapa Magar of Nepal who measured 67 cm as the world’s shortest man.
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Couple charged with fencing stolen Picassos
Nice: The police have charged a retired electrician and his wife with stashing 271 stolen Picasso artworks in their garage, a newspaper reported on Sunday.
Pierre Le Guennec, 71, was caught and sued along with his wife when he contacted the late Spanish painter’s estate seeking to authenticate the works, which he had kept in his garage for nearly 40 years, Le Monde newspaper said.
The local public prosecutors’ office declined to confirm the report to AFP and Le Guennec and his lawyer could not be reached for comment.
The report said Le Guennec claimed Picasso and his wife and muse Jacqueline had personally given him the works when he was working at their farmhouse in Mougins. —AFP