TAIPEI, Taiwan (AFP) — Parts of Taiwan were brought to a standstill Wednesday as the strongest typhoon of the year skirted past the island’s southern tip, knocking out power for more than 180,000 households. Although super typhoon Meranti did not make landfall, the storm brought record strong winds and torrential rains to eastern and southern Taiwan. At 0215 GMT, Meranti was 30 kilometers southwest of southernmost Hengchun township, packing gusts of up to 263 kilometers […]