Mubarak refusing food as trial nears

Deposed Egyptian ruler Hosni Mubarak is extremely weak and refusing solid food, a hospital official said Tuesday. Mohamed Fathallah, a hospital director in the Red Sea resort of Sharm-el-Sheik, where Mubarak has lived since resigning Feb. 11, told Egypt's official Middle East News Agency he is taking only liquids and is losing weight. An unnamed medical source said Mubarak may have to be fed intravenously. Mubarak is scheduled to go on trial Aug. 3 on potentially capital charges, but the health report is fueling talk of a postponement, The New York Times reports. Mubarak's lawyer, Farid el-Deeb, said recently he has suffered a recurrence of cancer and a stroke-induced coma. The ex-president has been hospitalized since complaining of chest pains in April.