A fire has gutted an electoral commission warehouse in Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, just days before the highly anticipated presidential vote. Officials say the blaze destroyed thousands of voting machines and ballot boxes that were due to be used in the election. The campaign to elect a successor to President Joseph Kabila on 23 December has been marred by deadly clashes. A teenager was reportedly shot dead yesterday in the Kasai region ahead of a rally by Felix Tshisekedi, one of the leading opposition candidates.