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Malaysia releases satellite data on jet; some engineers say it's not enough to confirm path
• KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) -- The Malaysian government on Tuesday released 45 pages of raw satellite data it used to determine that the missing jetliner crashed into the southern Indian Ocean, responding to demands for greater transparency by relatives of some of the 239 people on board.
• But at least one independent expert said his initial impression was that the communication logs didn't include key assumptions, algorithms and metadata needed to validate the investigation team's conclusions that the plane flew south after dropping off radar screens 90 minutes into the flight.
• "It's a whole lot of stuff that is not very important to know," said Michael Exner, a satellite engineer who has been intensively researching the calculations. "There are probably two or three pages of important stuff, the rest is just noise. It doesn't add any value to our understanding."
• Almost three months since it went missing en route to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur, no trace of the jet has been found, an agonizing situation for family members stuck between grief and the faintest hope, no matter how unlikely, their loved ones might still be alive. The mystery disappearance also has nurtured speculation and wild conspiracy theories.
• Several family members have been highly critical of the Malaysian government's response, accusing them of failing to release timely information or even concealing it. The government, which in the early days did release contradictory information about the plane's movements, insists it is being transparent in what has been an unprecedented situation.
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Amid drought, California water managers rely on flawed system to track largest users of water
• SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Call them the fortunate ones: Nearly 4,000 California companies, farms and others are allowed to use free water with little oversight when the state is so bone dry that deliveries to nearly everyone else have been severely slashed.
• Their special status dates back to claims made more than a century ago when water was plentiful. But in the third year of a drought that has ravaged California, (Continued on page 22)
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