World IN BRIEF : SAUDI ARABIA : King Signals His Return to Power

Signaling a return to normal duties, King Fahd presided over a Cabinet meeting for the first time since suffering a stroke in November. The king had handed over the affairs of state Jan. 1 to his half-brother and heir apparent, Crown Prince Abdullah, while he recuperated, but Saudi officials made clear at the time that he had not abdicated. Saudi state television said the monarch also met dozens of princes, ministers and other dignitaries in what sources in the kingdom described as a display of loyalty. Sources also said the king received Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak during a brief pilgrimage to Mecca.