Hosni Mubarak 'may have cancer'

Ousted Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak may have cancer, his defence lawyer said yesterday, two months ahead of the former leader's trial for allegedly ordering the killing of anti-government protesters.

Mubarak, who was ousted on 11 February after 18 days of mass protests, has been hospitalised with heart problems since April in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. He is scheduled to go on trial on 3 August. If convicted, he could be sentenced to death.

The former president's lawyer, Farid el-Deeb, said: "There is evidence suggesting there is a recurrence of cancer (Mubarak was treated for it last year] and that it has reached the stomach."