European soldiers are training 2,000 Somalis to help build a national army to defend a weak, Western-backed government in Mogadishu, Somalia. Here, a European soldier participates in the training of a Somali recruit at a training camp in remote Uganda. Frank Langfitt/NPR hide caption

West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin talks to President Obama at a memorial service in July for Democratic Sen. Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia. The Democratic governor was expected to cruise to victory in the race to fill the Senate seat Byrd occupied, but his Republican opponent, John Raese, has tried to tie the popular governor to the not-so-popular president and is ahead in some polls. Charles Dharapak/AP hide caption

Young defectors from North Korea study at Yeomyung school in Seoul. They asked for their faces not to be shown to protect their families in North Korea, since relatives of those who have fled are sometimes punished by the authorities. Louisa Lim/NPR hide caption

In 1942, Washington, D.C.'s U Street neighborhood was a cultural center for the city's African-American community.  Today, gentrification has pushed many longtime black residents out. Marjory Collins/Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division hide caption

Scientists found that neurons (red) are able to leak signaling chemicals to nearby cells. The finding may help explain the cause of some nervous system conditions, including epilepsy and chronic pain. Institute for Stem Cell Research/Getty Images hide caption