Wednesday: The day in photos

Russian emergency workers help an elderly Georgian resident leave her village of Kekhvi, north of Tskhinvali, capital of the breakaway Georgian province of South Ossetia.  (Dmitry Lovetsky / Associated Press)

A girl covers her face as Georgian refugees, many of them from the breakaway province of South Ossetia settle into a refugee shelter in Tbilisi, Georgia. Tens of thousands of Georgians and others have fled the areas of north Georgia affected by the standoff with Russian forces.  (Uriel Sinai / Getty Images)

Russian soldiers sit atop a tank, with a portrait of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin at left in the background, in Tskhinvali, the main city of the breakaway Georgian province of South Ossetia. Russian forces on Wednesday dug foxholes and built a sentry post in a swath of central Georgia far outside the security zone they are authorized to remain in.  (Dmitry Lovetsky / Associated Press)

Filipino men push a delivery van along flooded streets in suburban Malabon, north of Manila. A typhoon packing winds of 87 miles per hour battered the northern Philippines.  (Aaron Favila / Associated Press)

Philippine residents force open a door to release water trapped inside a house by flash floods after Typhoon Nuri slammed into the northern Philippines.  (Luis Liwanag / AFP/Getty Images)

People gather near the remains of a passenger bus in Bouira, Algeria, after it was targeted in a bomb attack. At least 31 people were wounded in the latest attacks.  (AFP / Getty Images)

Jamaica’s Usain Bolt cruises to the finish line to win the gold medal and set a world record in the men’s 200-meter race at the Beijing Olympics.  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

Kobe Bryant makes an emphatic slam dunk midway through the first half of the Americans’ 116-85 victory over Australia in a quarterfinal match at Beijing’s Olympic Basketball Gymnasium. Bryant led the Americans with 25 points.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

China’s Yao Ming faced a tough Lithuanian double team defense during a men’s quarterfinal against Lithuania at Beijing’s Olympic Basketball Gymnasium. China was eliminated from the tournament after losing 94-68.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

The U.S. team celebrates as Jessica Mendoza (2) comes home on a three-run home run by Crystl Bustos during the ninth inning of a softball game against Japan at the Beijing Olympics.  (Charlie Riedel / Associated Press)

China’s windsurfer Yin Jian, center, celebrates after winning the gold medal in the RS:X women’s sailing competition at the Beijing Olympics in Qingdao, China.  (Herbert Knosowski / Associated Press)

Riders race into the first set of jumps during an Olympic BMX quarterfinal qualifier at Beijing’s Laoshan track.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Cyclist Mike Day of the U.S. leads the pack during a quarterfinal heat at Beijing’s Laoshan BMX track.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)