A new plan for Afghanistan – 8 in the morning, January 28th

By Alex Smith / @alexsmith1982

* Gordon Brown will host a 60-nation summit on Afghanistan today, with plans on the table for a multimillion-pound “peace and reintegration” fund that would seek to lure low-ranking Taliban fighters who join out of poverty rather than ideology by giving them jobs, schooling or land for farming.

* Yesterday, the PM outlined a three point plan and deadline for Northern Ireland’s power sharing executive.

* In the mid-1990s, one in eight young people the most deprived areas went to university, compared with half (50%) of teenagers from the 20% of richest areas; now, one in five youngsters from the poorest areas go on to higher education, against nearly six in 10 of the richest, a new study shows.

* “Enough pomp to embarrass a medieval monarch” and other critical Spectator observations on David Cameron and George Osborne.

* The story of how Lord Ashcroft became involved with David Cameron.

* Those looking for scandal in Tony Blair’s Chilcot inquiry tomorrow will be disappointed, writes Steve Richards in the Independent.

* Turning a page: President Obama gave his first State of the Union address last night, promising a new focus on jobs and the economy.