Egypt crisis hits shares in travel firms

Some countries are looking to evacuate their citizens from Egypt Shares in UK-listed travel firms and airlines have fallen as protests in Egypt continue, and Britons are warned not to visit major cities there. Big fallers on the FTSE included Thomas Cook, down 3 percent, and the new BA/Iberia airline group IAG, which fell 1.8 percent.

The Foreign Office has advised "against all but essential travel to Cairo, Alexandria, Luxor and Suez". It comes as the US and other countries launch operations to airlift their citizens from Egypt.