Khagendra Thapa Magar takes over from 24-year-old Edward “Nino” Hernandez from Colombia, who loses the title after just five weeks, following final checks that found his Nepalese rival was 0.4 inches (one centimetre) smaller. A team of Guinness World Records adjudicators put Mr Magar’s official height at 26.4 inches (67.08 centimetres) after taking final measurements early on Thursday, and named him the new record-holder. “Khagendra Thapa Magar is now officially the shortest man in the world,” said head of global records Marco Frigatti at a ceremony in the picturesque Himalayan town of Pokhara in central Nepal near where Mr Magar grew up. “We want to congratulate Khagendra Thapa Magar and his family for this feat. This is a big day for Nepal.” Mr Magar, the son of a fruit seller from rural Nepal who weighs just 6.5 kilograms (14 pounds), says he dreams of marrying and travelling the world in his wife’s handbag. -