An unfinished housing estate in Co Cork will be the first to benefit from a new Nama initiative to fast-track the delivery of social housing in so-called ghost estates.

Businessman Jim Kennedy, who is accused of numerous counts of corrupt payments to politicians, was served with a book of evidence today and sent forward for trial before a judge and jury.

Four former Fianna Fáil politicians and a Gibraltar-based businessman tonight appeared in court in connection with a multimillion-euro land deal alleged to be corrupt.

The Special Criminal Court has begun the trial of three men arrested after gardai discovered a large quantity of explosives in a disused fish shop in North Dublin.