BELFAST, North Ireland: Northern Ireland’s lawmakers have approved a landmark deal transferring key powers from London to Belfast, in what British Prime Minister Gordon Brown hailed as the “final end” to decades of conflict.

President Gloria Arroyo on Wednesday sought to calm fears that she was secretly plotting to hold on to power, promising a smooth transition when her term ends in June.

BY BERNICE CAMILLE V. BAUZON Reporter

Some 5,000 ballot boxes that will be used for the automated elections on May 10 have arrived in the country, a high-ranking official of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said on Wednesday.