The limited life expectancy of a terminally-ill dissident republican convicted of murdering two British soldiers should not influence the length of his jail term, his defence lawyer has accepted.

Sinn Féin is celebrating record gains in the General Election, but party strategists believe the trebling of its strength in the Dáil will be a springboard for even greater growth.

David Ervine, leader of the loyalist Progressive Unionist Party in the North, died in hospital today.