"This is a big catch, the biggest ever single seizure of ivory at the port of Mombasa," said Kiberenge Seroney, the port's police officer in charge of criminal investigations. "We fail to understand where one gathers the courage to park such enormous quantities of ivory, hoping that they can slip through our security systems."

Poaching is a growing problem for sub-Saharan African countries reliant on rich wildlife in their game reserves to draw foreign tourists.

Heavily-armed criminals kill elephants and rhinos for their tusks, which are used for ornaments and in some folk medicines. Most of the elephant tusks smuggled from Africa ends up in Asian countries, according to police.

On Jan. 5, poachers killed a family of 11 elephants in the biggest single mass shooting of the animals on record in Kenya, wildlife officials said.

Gitau Gitau, an assistant commissioner with the Kenya Revenue Authority, said paperwork accompanying a container at the port of Mombasa declared it contained decorative stones.

"But when we opened it we found elephant tusks," said Gitau as he displayed the ivory. "The ivory was originating from Rwanda and Tanzania and was to be exported to Indonesia."

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A U.S. civilian working for the military was killed inside Kabul’s police headquarters when a policewoman opened fire in apparent “insider” attack, officials told NBC News on Monday.

The man, a member of the International Security Assistance Forces and a logistics adviser to the Kabul police, was severely wounded and died on Monday in the office of the local police chief, according to Mohammad Zahir, head of the criminal investigation department.

Zahir described the incident as an “insider attack” in which Afghan forces turn their weapons on Western military they are supposed to be working with. 

What's leading Afghan troops to turn on coalition forces?

ISAF confirmed to NBC News the victim was one of its civilian employees.

However, a spokesman for the NATO forces in Afghanistan described the victim to Reuters as "a U.S. police adviser".

No further details were immediately available.

Earlier this year, U.S. military officials briefly suspended the training of Afghan Local Police (ALP) in the wake of a deadly series of insider killings, also known as ‘green on blue’ attacks.

In a separate incident, an ISAF member died following an insurgent attack in eastern Afghanistan on Monday, according to a statement released to NBC News. 

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Reuters

Loyalists clash with police officers outside the City Hall in Belfast following a vote by local councilors to stop flying the British flag every day.

Fifteen police officers were injured when hundreds of people tried to storm Belfast City Hall in Northern Ireland over a plan to stop flying the British flag as it currently does every day of the year, ITV News reported.

The violence broke out after Irish nationalist councilors from the Sinn Fein and SDLP parties voted to take down the flag which has flown above the city hall every day since the building was opened in 1906.

The decision means the flag will be flown only for 17 days of the year, as is the case at the provincial assembly at Stormont.

Nationalist and Unionist parties share power under a 1998 peace deal that largely ended 30 years of sectarian violence in which more than 3,600 people died.

Read more on this story from ITV News

Many of the protesters who clashed with police were carrying British Union flags.

Reuters reported that the attempt to storm the building was repelled by police.

A photographer from the Press Association news agency and two security guards were also injured, a police spokeswoman told Reuters.

Peter Morrison / AP

Police and protesters face off during clashes that saw 15 officers and three others injured.

Dozens of police hurt in Northern Ireland sectarian clashes

Democratic Unionist Party councilor Ruth Patterson described the vote to remove the flag as "divisive, destructive and disrespectful of anything remotely Protestant, anything remotely British," ITV News reported.

Northern Ireland's First Minister Peter Robinson condemned the violence.

"There is no excuse or justification for attacks on police officers, council staff, and property," he said, according to ITV News.

"Such behavior is not representative of those who campaigned to maintain the Union flag flying over Belfast City Hall," he added. "Those who talk most about building community relations have by their actions in the council substantially damaged relations across the city."

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Nationalist parties, which aspire to break from the U.K. and join a united Ireland, last year for the first time secured more seats on the council than Unionist parties, which support maintaining Northern Ireland's position in the United Kingdom.

Gerry Kelly, a member of the Northern Irish Assembly, strongly criticized the police, according to ITV News.

"I have to say, and I don't use these words unless I really mean them, it was a disgraceful police operation -- or lack of a police operation," he said. "If that had been 1,000 or more republicans, it would have been very different."

Ireland PM in historic tribute to veterans on British Remembrance Day

"They indiscriminately attacked cars. We are very, very lucky that they didn't get into the building or we could have been dealing with a lot more injuries," he added. "I am angry because it's not as if they were taken by surprise. This was a well-planned protest."

ITV News, a U.K. partner of NBC News, and Reuters contributed to this report.

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ONITSHA, Nigeria -- Bank robbers armed with assault rifles and explosives attacked four banks and two police stations in southern Nigeria, in a coordinated strike that left seven people dead, police said Tuesday.

It was the latest in a spate of security lapses in Nigeria in the recent days, after a suicide bombing by suspected Islamists inside a military barracks Sunday and a jail break in the capital Abuja early Monday.

The attack took place late Monday night in the remote town of Auchi, in Edo state. The robbers opened fire and detonated dynamite at several of the targets, police commissioner for Eddo state Hurti Mohammed told Reuters by telephone.

They robbed the vault in Access Bank but were unable to get money out of any of the other banks. Seven people, including a bus driver, were killed in the ensuing gunbattle with police, he said.

'They shot sporadically'
Mohammed added that the robbers had escaped.

"They shot sporadically and were able to gain access to the vault of one of the banks ... carting away an unspecified amount of cash," he said. 

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The southern, Yoruba-dominated area where the attack took place was hundreds of miles away from the northern areas where Islamist insurgent group Boko Haram is violently challenging the authority of the President Goodluck Jonathan's government.

But Boko Haram have made forays into the south, including in Kogi state, which borders Edo to the north.

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Mohammed rejected any link. Powerful, organized robbery and kidnapping rings operate across southern Nigeria.

"There is no relation between this incident and what is happening in the north," he said. "We suspect the attackers just to be robbers."

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Suzanne Plunkett / Reuters

A voter enters a polling station in Hambleden, southern England, on Thursday as the public elected 41 police and crime commissioners.

LONDON -- Democracy is a valuable commodity; revolutions are fought to win it, lives are lost defending it, constitutions are written to enshrine it and billions of dollars are spent making it mean something. However, an initiative in Britain to extend the scope of democracy has met with an emphatic thumbs-down by the electorate, raising questions about how the nation has its say in who-runs-what.

On Thursday, voters in England and Wales, with the exception of London, had the opportunity to elect the first-ever Police and Crime Commissioners (PCC). These new regional officials, paid upwards of $150,000 a year, have the power to set policing budgets, fix priorities and hire and fire chief constables -- the most senior officers in the force.

But in the end, most people didn’t bother to vote.

Fewer than one-in-six eligible voters cast their ballots, with none of the regions achieving even a 20 per cent turn-out, according to data compiled by the Electoral Reform Society. One polling station in Wales failed to have even a single voter cross its threshold. Among those who did vote, the proportion of invalid ballots was three-times higher than normally seen at a parliamentary election. 

The turnout was so low that the Electoral Commission, the independent watchdog responsible for monitoring British elections, announced an inquiry into just what went wrong, describing voter apathy as “a concern for anyone who cares about democracy."

The PCC was the coalition government's latest policy to enable the public to become more closely involved in decision-making. Unlike the United States, Britain has no tradition of voting for positions such as sheriffs and school board officials. In recent years, successive U.K. governments have extended the reach of local democracy, first through national assemblies in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and more recently by instigating directly elected mayors in major cities.

Perhaps the most noteworthy defeat was handed to John Prescott, who served as Tony Blair's deputy prime minister. He lost in his bid to become a police and crime commissioner for the Humberside Police in northeast England.

Before the vote, the government stressed the importance of making the 41 new commissioners directly accountable to the public. But as a result of widespread voter apathy, questions have now been raised about the mandate for the PCCs to carry out their duties.

For example, the new commissioner for Essex, Nick Alston, was elected by just 4.7 percent of those eligible to vote. At one Essex voting booth on polling day, election officials confessed that "just a handful" of voters had turned up in the first three hours.

'Waste of money'
One of those who did not vote for Alston – or for anyone - was former Essex police officer, Bob Miller.

Miller, 65, said he had purposefully spoiled his vote-by-mail as a protest against what he described as, “an undemocratic, unnecessary, waste of money.”

“The whole thing’s a joke,” he said, “It’s not been properly thought through.”

Miller’s sentiments featured among a number of reasons put forward to explain the low turn-out: the weather was bad (which is why British elections rarely take place in November); candidates had not been funded by the government to provide mail-shots; there had been little national publicity about either the reforms or the election.

More UK coverage from NBC News

The organization of the poll was sharply criticized by pressure groups working for democratic reform.

Katie Ghose, chief executive of the Electoral Reform Society, deplored what she called the "inaction and incompetence" of the preparation amid the government's "piecemeal" approach to democratic reform.

“Democracy doesn't work on the basis of 'if you build it, they will come',” Ghose said.

Campaign group Unlock Democracy called for a mass petition of the government minister responsible, demanding she “never allow public elections like this to go ahead on the cheap, at the wrong time of the year and with so little help for the electorate to make an informed decision.”

But some argue the main reason could be traced to failings at the heart of British democracy.

Political commentator Peter Kellner deplored the "chipping away" of the foundations of Britain's representative democracy, whereby voters elect politicians, at national and local level, to take decisions for them.

What Kellner perceived as a "patchwork arrangement" of new democratic initiatives, such as mayors and referendums, had eroded traditional British democracy over the past 40 years.

“The people seem to have understood far better than the politicians how unattractive that patchwork is,” he said.

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Saarland State Police via AP

When German police pulled over a driver on the autobahn on Monday, they discovered his vehicle was wired up like a mobile office.

MAINZ, Germany -- Ever worry about getting caught by police using your cellphone while driving?

That was not enough of a risk for one German driver, who had an entire office installed in his FORD Mondeo station wagon.

Undercover highway police in southern Germany on Monday pulled over a 34-year-old IT specialist after he conducted an illegal passing maneuver and was going 80 miles per hour in a reduced 62-mile-per-hour zone on Germany's infamous super highway, the autobahn.

Read more World news stories on NBCNews.com

"The officers were quite surprised when they found a laptop, a printer and even a medium-size voltage transformer attached to a wood rack that was set up next to the center console," police spokesman Stephan Lassotta told NBC News.

In addition, the German highway patrol found two cellphones and a navigation system installed in the windshield of the driver's car.

"We could not prove that the driver had been using the equipment while driving, so he was not fined for that violation," Lassotta added.

Crazy gas prices driving German consumers mad

But the man, who was not identified by name, was asked to store the technical equipment in his trunk immediately, before being allowed to continue his journey. German law states that "unsecured items" in vehicles are dangerous and therefore not permitted.

The man now faces a fine of more than $170 for speeding and passing traffic in a right-hand lane, in accordance with German law.

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Christopher Furlong / Getty Images

The coffin of police Constable Nicola Hughes is carried into Manchester Cathedral after processing along the city's Deansgate lined with police officers and members of the public on Oct. 3 in Manchester, England. Police Constables Nicola Hughes, 23, and her police colleague Fiona Bone, 32, were killed as they responded to what they thought was a routine burglary call in Mottram, Greater Manchester and were murdered in a gun and grenade attack. The funeral of Fiona Bone also takes place at the cathedral tomorrow. A local man, Dale Cregan, 29, appeared before Manchester Magistrates last week accused of four murders, including those of PC Nicola Hughes and PC Fiona Bone on Sept. 18.

Martin Rickett / AFP - Getty Images

A picture of PC Nicola Hughes stands beside her coffin at Manchester Cathedral during her funeral service on Oct. 3. Thousands of police officers from across Britain gathered in a silent tribute to a policewoman killed in a gun and grenade attack.

Nigel Roddis / Reuters

A police officer cries as the coffin of Police Constable Nicola Hughes is carried into Manchester Cathedral for her funeral service in Oct. 3.

Thousands of people paid their respects to Police Constable Nicola Hughes at her funeral in Manchester, England, on Wednesday, according to the BBC. Hughes and another constable Fiona Bone were murdered in a gun and grenade attack when responding to what they thought was a burglary on Sept. 18. Bone's funeral will take place on Thursday, according to Getty Images.

Christopher Furlong / Getty Images

A police woman holds flowers as she lines the route for the funeral cortege of police Constable Nicola Hughes at Manchester Cathedral on Oct. 3.

Andrew Winning / Reuters

Crowds line the streets to watch the coffin of Nicola Hughes as it is driven to Manchester Cathedral for her funeral service on Oct. 3

Christopher Furlong / Getty Images

The hat and gloves of police Constable Nicola Hughes lay on top of her coffin as it is carried out of Manchester Cathedral after her funeral service on Oct. 3.

Andrew Yates / AFP - Getty Images

British police personnel attend the funeral of murdered police colleague Nicola Hughes at Manchester Cathedral on Oct. 3.

Dan Kitwood / Getty Images

Children play as police officers line the streets ahead of the funeral of police Constable Nicola Hughes at Manchester Cathedral on Oct. 3.

Follow @NBCNewsPictures

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Updated at 4:27 a.m. ET: BEIJING -- China's ruling Communist Party took a big step towards sealing the fate of fallen politician Bo Xilai on Monday, when a court jailed his former police chief for 15 years over charges that indicated Bo tried to derail a murder inquiry.

The court in Chengdu in southwest China handed down the sentence against Wang Lijun after finding him guilty on four charges, including seeking to cover up the November 2011 murder of a British businessman, Neil Heywood, by Bo's wife, Gu Kailai.

The verdict ended the career of one of China's most storied and controversial police officers and moved the party closer to a formal decision on dealing with Bo, whose downfall has shaken a leadership handover due at a party congress as early as next month.

"Wang Lijun exposed clues of major law-breaking and crimes by others," said the court verdict, according to the Xinhua news agency. It did not say who those other people were.

"He rendered a major contribution, and according to the law he can receive a lighter sentence," said the court. Wang could have received life imprisonment, or even a death sentence.

The relatively mild sentence -- following official confirmation that Wang shared incriminating clues and that Bo beat him after Wang confronted him over the murder allegations -- added weight to predictions that the party will move to jail Bo too, said He Weifang, a law professor at Peking University who has closely followed the case.

"The legal net around Bo Xilai has been slowly tightening," said He. "He'll certainly face a criminal trial."

Wife of disgraced Chinese leader gets death sentence with reprieve

In August, Gu was sentenced to a suspended death sentence, which effectively means life in prison.

'I let you down'
Experts have offered divided views over whether the party will put Bo before a criminal court or spare him and the leadership that disgrace by simply meting out lighter disciplinary punishment within the party. Some still see that latter course as more likely.

Before Chinese authorities can launch a criminal investigation, the party leadership must first hear the results of an internal investigation and decide whether to hand Bo over. That could happen at a leadership conclave that must take place before the bigger party congress convenes.

The court said Wang, former police chief of southwestern Chongqing municipality, received the sentence for "bending the law for selfish ends, defection, abuse of power and bribe-taking", according to Xinhua.

Wang would not appeal against the sentence, said his lawyer Wang Yuncai, who is not a relative. The sentence could be cut after he serves half his sentence, added Wang, the lawyer. "He accepted the sentence," she said. "He's doing okay."

Xinhua has portrayed Wang as being contrite. "I acknowledge and confess the guilt accused by the prosecuting body and show my repentance," Wang was quoted as saying in court last week. "For the Party organizations, people and relatives that have cared for me, I want to say here, sincerely: I'm very, very sorry, I've let you down."

Read more China coverage in our Behind the Wall blog

The scandal that felled both men erupted after Gu murdered Heywood in a hilltop hotel villa in Chongqing, the city where Bo was the flamboyant party chief. Officials have said the murder arose from a business dispute in Chongqing, which Bo and Wang ran as their fiefdom.

Wang had at first helped Gu evade suspicion of poisoning Heywood, hushing up evidence of the murder, according to the official account of Wang's trial.

Slap that 'changed history'
However, in late January, Wang confronted Bo with the allegation that Gu was suspected of killing Heywood. But Wang was "angrily rebuked and had his ears boxed."

"That was a slap around the ears that changed history," said Li Zhuang, a Beijing lawyer who opposed Wang and Bo for mounting a sweeping crackdown on foes in the name of fighting organized crime. "Otherwise, Bo might still be in power and hoping to rise higher."

Days after the confrontation, Bo stripped Wang of his post as Chongqing police chief. The court verdict said several of Wang's subordinates were "illegally investigated."

Wang, fearing for his safety, fled to the U.S. consulate in Chengdu where he hid for more than 24 hours until Chinese officials coaxed him out.

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Wang was found guilty by the court of defecting to a U.S. consulate -- along with taking bribes and conducting illegal surveillance -- but only two years of the 15-year sentence were that offense.

It was then that Wang exposed Heywood's murder first to American diplomats and then to Chinese authorities, handing over evidence used to convict Gu last month.

"When mafia members break up with their bosses, they can attempt to seek police protection. But in Chongqing and for the former police boss, there was nowhere to turn," prominent editor Hu Shuli wrote in a commentary posted on the website of her magazine, Caixin. "And this perhaps encapsulates one of the greatest embarrassments of the country's current legal system."

In March, Bo was sacked as Chongqing party boss, and in April he was suspended from the party's Politburo, a powerful decision-making council with two dozen active members.

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So far, Bo has been accused only of breaching internal party discipline, and his defenders have accused foes of exploiting the charges against Gu to topple Bo. He had not been given a chance to defend himself publicly since his fall in March.

Ding Xueliang, a China expert at Hong Kong's University of Science and Technology, said those in the party leadership who wanted Bo out might push to reward Wang for exposing the corrupt and lawless inner workings of Bo's administration.

"Despite the many terrible things that Wang Lijun did before, he, in my view, contributed enormously to the legitimacy of the Communist government," Ding said. "This kind of local emperor style of Bo Xilai, it is a cancer of the system, and Wang Lijun helped the top leadership to deal with the fundamental disease before it's too late."

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Bullit Marquez / AP

Philippine National Police officers and SWAT team members try to arrest resisting informal settlers during the demolition of their shanty in Taguig city, Sept. 20, east of Manila, Philippines.

Erik De Castro / Reuters

Residents living in a squatters area throw rocks at police and a demolition crew in Taguig, Metro Manila Sept. 20.

Erik De Castro / Reuters

Police seek cover behind their shields during a clash with residents of a squatters area in Taguig, Metro Manila Sept. 20.

Erik De Castro / Reuters

Police detain a resident during a protest in a squatters area in Taguig, Metro Manila Sept. 20.

Squatters and police clashed on Thursday as residents tried to stop the demolition of their homes to make way for the development of a high-end housing development in Taguig City, eastern Manila in the Philippines. The informal settlers' community of mostly retired police and military personnel was demolished to pave the way for new development projects.