An overnight curfew has ended in Egypt's capital and thousands more protesters have taken to the streets demanding an end to president Hosni Mubarak's rule.

As the protests enter their sixth day and the death toll tops 100, Egypt's outgoing information minister has ordered the closure of satellite news channel Al-Jazeera, which has been giving blanket coverage to the anti-government riots.

With thousands of protesters on the streets below, fighter jets and military helicopters have taken to the sky as much of Egypt remains in a state of anarchy.

There is a growing exodus of Egyptians and foreigners from the country.

Turkey has sent two planes to evacuate its citizens and Israel has closed its embassy in Cairo indefinitely.

The US is also planning to send planes to Cairo to evacuate some diplomats from the region.

Hordes of anti-government demonstrators still wander the streets in major cities, including Cairo.

Buildings have been destroyed by fire including one multi-storey tower that is now a blackened shell. Police vehicles are burnt out and trashed all over the capital.

Looters have reportedly broken into Cairo's National Museum and damaged ancient artefacts, including several mummies.

Shops and businesses all over Cairo are shut or boarded up to prevent the widespread looting.

Egyptian police have all but abandoned the streets and it is unclear whether the army is siding with the protesters or the government.

There are also reports that thousands of prisoners have escaped from one jail.

A security official says the facility held many Islamist political prisoners and the escaped inmates had spilled out into nearby towns and villages.

Many Egyptians believe the police have deliberately released prisoners in order to spread chaos and emphasise the need for the security forces.

Egypt's defence ministry spokesman Ismail Othman has issued a warning to protesters.

"The armed forces are calling on you and saying that there is a group of individuals who are committing vandalism, theft, robbery and threatening families in the streets and in some houses, terrifying them and their children," he said.

"Therefore we appeal to you to abide by the curfew. Those individuals who break the law will be arrested and dealt with very severely."

'Do not travel'

The Australian Government has raised its travel warning for the region, saying there is ongoing civil unrest and a high threat of a terrorist attack.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard says there could be thousands of Australians in Egypt and they should stay away from demonstrations or leave the country if they can.

"Today as a result of monitoring the situation in Egypt and the intensity of the demonstrations there we have upgraded the travel warning for Australians," she said.

"The travel warning now says do not travel. It's a very clear message to Australians who may have been contemplating travelling to Egypt. Do not travel."

Ms Gillard has called for security forces in Egypt to be restrained and for the demonstrations to be peaceful.

"The Australian Government certainly understands the desire of the people of Egypt for reform, for democracy, we understand that but we are monitoring the situation closely and calling on everybody to exercise calm and restraint," she said.

Embattled government

President Hosni Mubarak has now appointed a new government and vice-president, apparently to appease his opponents.

Mr Mubarak on Saturday named military intelligence chief Omar Suleiman as his first-ever vice president and also a new premier, Ahmed Shafiq, but protesters dismissed the moves as too little, too late.

Both men are stalwarts of Egypt's all-powerful military establishment.

Mr Suleiman, 75, has spearheaded years of Egyptian efforts to clinch an elusive Israeli-Palestinian peace deal and tried so far in vain to mediate an inter-Palestinian reconciliation.

Mr Shafiq, 69, is respected by the Egyptian elite, even among the opposition, and has often been mooted as a potential successor to Mr Mubarak.

Mohamed ElBaradei, the Nobel laureate and former UN chief nuclear inspector who has emerged as a dissident leader in his homeland, said Mr Mubarak's new political appointments were insufficient.

"I tell President Mubarak and his regime to leave Egypt as soon as possible. It will be better for Egypt and for you," he said in remarks to Al-Jazeera television.

The banned Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's best-organised opposition group, has called for a peaceful transfer of power through a transitional cabinet.

The United States said Mr Mubarak should carry out "real reform" beyond a government reshuffle, as the US president met top aides on the crisis and anti-Mubarak protests spread to US cities.

President Barack Obama gathered his national security team at the White House for a session lasting just over an hour on latest developments in Egypt.

Mr Obama "reiterated our focus on opposing violence and calling for restraint; supporting universal rights; and supporting concrete steps that advance political reform within Egypt," a White House statement said.

- AFP/ABC