Taipei / AFP Parts of Taiwan were brought to a standstill on Wednesday as super typhoon Meranti skirted past the island’s southern tip, bringing the strongest winds in 21 years and disrupting traffic ahead of a major holiday. Although typhoon Meranti did not make landfall, the storm brought violent winds and torrential rain to eastern and southern Taiwan. At …

  Aleppo / AFP Besieged Syrian civilians waited desperately for aid on Wednesday as relief convoys remained on hold despite a significant drop in violence under a ceasefire brokered by Washington and Moscow. The truce that began at sundown on Monday is part of the latest bid to end a five-year conflict that has killed more than 300,000 people. The …

  Nicosia / AFP Cypriot leaders will meet UN chief Ban Ki-moon later this month, his envoy said on Wednesday, as they push for a deal on reunifying the Mediterranean island this year. Espen Barth Eide said that Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci would meet Ban in New York on September 25 to try …