The World Food Programme has warned of a serious food shortage in Afghanistan.

The agency's director for the country, Michael Sackett, said supply of wheat this year would be more than a million tonnes short of demand.

He said there was no starvation, but malnutrition among children under the age of five appeared to be increasing.

Mr Sackett appealed to donor countries to help ease the problem.

He also called on Pakistan to ease its restrictions on the flow of wheat and other products into Afghanistan.

The Pakistani authorities imposed the restrictions in an effort to curb smuggling.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service