Wednesday: The day in photos

An Austrian worker pours melted silver into a form at the private Oegussa factory in Vienna today. The gold bullion maker announced Monday that it has increased its production tenfold, as the global financial crisis pushes investors toward a precious metal seen as a haven during economic turmoil. Demand is particularly high for gold bars of 50 grams to one kilogram since gold is tax-free for transactions of less than 15,000 euros ($20,000), Oegussa said. (Joe Klamar / AFP / Getty Images)

Sept. 16, 2014 9:52 AM PT

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A central London worker walks past a bronze statue showing a trader conducting business on a cellphone. Britain’s government Wednesday announced a 5-billion-pound plan to partly nationalize major banks, in a bid to prevent a collapse of the banking system. (Leon Neal / AFP / Getty Images)

A couple photograph their reflection on the surface of a sculpture at the 798 Art Festival in Beijing, China, which runs through Oct. 18. Chinese and international artists are showcased at dozens of galleries in the city’s 798 Art Zone. (Michael Reynolds / EPA)

Pope Benedict XVI waves to faithful as he arrives today for his weekly general audience at St Peter’s Square at the Vatican. The Vatican published an article Tuesday in defense of the Nazi-era Pope Pius XII and countering allegations that Pius remained silent during the Holocaust. Earlier this week, a prominent rabbi made a landmark address to Catholic bishops, adding his voice to Jewish opposition to Pius XII’s beatification. (Christophe Simon / AFP / Getty Images)

Qarar, an Afghan boy, rests as he waits for customers at a goldsmith’s shop in Kabul. (Rafiq Maqbool / Associated Press)

Autumn foliage lies on the ground at Burggarten in Nuremberg, Germany. (Daniel Karmann / EPA)

Karl Merk, 54, received the world’s first complete double arm transplant. At a news conference today, he says he is recovering well and able to perform some basic tasks, though doctors said it still could take up to two years before he relearns how to use his hands. Doctors spent 15 hours on July 25-26 grafting the donor arms onto Merk, a farmer who lost his own arms just below the shoulder in a combine accident six years ago. (Uwe Lein / Associated Press)

Russian peacekeeping soldiers drive military vehicles out of the Kventakosa checkpoint. Russia and the EU took a key step toward resuming partnership talks after President Dmitry Medvedev pledged his troops would complete their pullout from buffer zones in Georgia. (Vano Shlamov / AFP / Getty Images)