7.5 earthquake shakes Indonesia

A powerful earthquake under the Java Sea rattled Indonesia’s capital early today, violently shaking tall buildings and sending panicked residents into the streets.

There were no immediate reports of damage, and geophysicists said there was little risk of a tsunami.

The quake, which struck at 12:04 a.m. local time, had a preliminary magnitude of 7.5 and was centered about 65 miles east of Jakarta at a depth of 180 miles, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

El-Shinta radio reported that the quake could be felt from Sumatra island in the west to Bali to the east, but that there were no immediate reports of damage.

Kiev, Ukraine

8-foot-5 Ukrainian tallest in world

A Ukrainian man is the tallest person in the world at 8 feet 5 inches, overshadowing a Chinese man who previously held the title, Guinness World Records said Wednesday.

Leonid Stadnik, a 37-year-old former veterinarian, is 8 inches taller than the former titleholder, China’s Bao Xishun, who measured 7 feet 9 inches, Guinness World Records spokeswoman Amarilis Espinoza said in London.

Stadnik’s growth spurt started at age 14 after a brain operation apparently stimulated his pituitary gland, which produces the human growth hormone.

Jerusalem

Israel says it needs missile defense

Defense Minister Ehud Barak says Israel must have a missile defense system in place to protect it from Palestinian rocket fire before it could carry out a large-scale pullback in the West Bank, an official said Wednesday.

Military experts said it would take between 2 1/2 and seven years to develop a system that would protect Israel from the type of crude rockets that Palestinian militants use.

Militants have launched tens of thousands of Qassam rockets into southern Israel from Gaza in the past seven years of fighting, killing 12 Israelis, the army says. Israelis fear West Bank militants could someday produce the projectiles and launch them into nearby Israeli cities.