Gaza: An Israeli airstrike collapsed a 12-story Gaza apartment building yesterday leaving 44 families homeless. Two missiles hit the building creating a fireball, then a cloud of black smoke. Twenty-two people were wounded, including 11 children and five women. Israel said it struck the building to take out a Hamas operations room. From their side, Hamas militants fired about 100 rocket and mortar rounds into Israel to little effect.

Flower Drum Song: China denies that one of its fighter jets buzzed dangerously close to a US surveillance plane and said that close-in US surveillance flights risk accidents. The US says the wings of the Chinese jet came within 30 feet of the wings of a P-8 Poseidon over international waters. A Chinese defense spokesman said, “The Chinese pilot’s maneuvers were professional, and maintained a safe distance from the U.S. aircraft.”

Libya: The country appears to be melting down as a militia force claims to have taken control of the Tripoli airport. And in a somewhat related incident, only 17 survivors were reported after a boat loaded with 170 migrants sank off the Libyan coast. Migrants from all over Africa are taking advantage of the Libyan chaos to leave through that country bound for Europe.

Quake: A 6.0 magnitude earthquake struck today in the California wine country between Napa and Sonoma north of San Francisco. People in the area described it as a gentle roller. About 30,000 people are without power and the soup cans are off the shelf.

Over the Volcano: Iceland issued an alert to air carriers and closed a slice of airspace after a small eruption deep within the Bardarbunga volcano. Two new earthquakes have struck since the closure. An aerial inspection showed the volcano’s ice cap is intact, but authorities closed an area about 115 miles by 160 miles. In 2010 as many as 100,000 flights were cancelled when Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokul volcano spewed ash for a week.

The Obit Page: The Indian yoga master BKS Iyengar, who spread the practice of yoga around the world, died this past week at age 95. A striking man, he had flowing gray hair and eyebrows long enough to take flight. Introduced to yoga at 15, Iyengar began teaching at 18 and eventually established studios in 72 countries. He may not have invented them, but as much as anyone, he’s responsible for shapely women in yoga pants rushing to class. He created his own style, “Iyengar yoga,” which required difficult poses and breathing exercises. It worked for him. Iyengar practiced yoga until two months before his death.

Virginia is for Lovers: Former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell revealed in his corruption trial this past week that the morning after he was elected he was saved from his screaming wife by a phone call from President Obama. He and the president spoke for seven minutes while presumably Maureen McDonnell kept a lid on it.

The former governor has joined even the prosecution witnesses in dumping on his wife. McDonnell said he moved out of the house a week before the trial and is staying with his priest. His strategy has been to distance himself from his wife. McDonnell admitted he had accepted golf outings, a golf bag, and the use of a vacation home from businessman Jonnie Williams, who was pushing a diet supplement called Antabloc. But McDonnell claimed he was guilty merely of reporting errors, not graft. Accused of jointly taking $165,000 in cash and gifts with his wife Maureen, McDonnell threw his wife under the bus saying he was unaware of the major haul she had taken in from Williams.

But we should note, in a letter to his wife introduced into evidence, McDonnell said, “You are my soul mate.”

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