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Secretary of State Colin Powell will meet with U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan to discuss improving security within Iraq. The meeting comes two days after an explosion at the U.N. headquarters in Baghdad killed more than 20 people, including the top U.N. envoy in Iraq. Hear retired Gen. William Nash and Nancy Soderberg, former U.S. ambassador to the U.N.

Sen. Joe Biden has been in the spotlight lately because of his work on two panels: the Judiciary Committee, which questioned new Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito and the Foreign Relations Committee, on which Biden is the top Democrat.

Scottish singer-songwriter Alexi Murdoch has risen to the top of the folk-pop genre by employing hushed, heartbreaking vocals in a style reminiscent of Nick Drake. In June, Murdoch independently released his first full-length album, Time Without Consequence.

A most unlikely CD has been close to the top of the Billboard charts recently. The Mars Volta, from Texas, somehow missed the news that progressive rock was nearly extinct. Their new CD, Frances the Mute, is a saga based on the diary of a child in search of a birth mother.

The new documentary Murderball looks at the rough-and-tumble world of quadriplegic rugby -- otherwise known as "murderball." Fresh Air talks to top-rated player Mark Zupan and Dana Adam Shapiro, the film's co-producer and co-director.

Leaders of the world's top economic democracies meet in Sea Island, Ga., for the annual Group of Eight summit on global economic and political issues. Leaders from Jordan, Bahrain and Iraq's new interim government are also attending the event. Issues surrounding Iraq's future and democratic reform in the Mideast are expected to fill the agenda. Hear NPR's Jim Zarroli.

Greece's two top track athletes, both of whom won medals in past Olympics, face expulsion from the Games after missing a mandatory drug test. Konstantinos Kenteris and Ekaterina Thanou have been hospitalized after a motorcycle accident that occurred after the pair skipped out on the test. Hear NPR's Steve Inskeep and NPR's Tom Goldman.

Host Bob Edwards talks with country music star Rodney Crowell. Crowell was just 11-years-old when he got his first gig, playing drums alongside his father in a honkey-tonk. He went on to write songs and produce albums for some of country music's top artists, including Willie Nelson and Emmy Lou Harris. The Texan's latest album is The Houston Kid. Crowell says it's his autobiography set to music.

Cohn's 1991 single "Walking in Memphis" made him an instant star: A sentimental Top 40 favorite and an enduring radio staple, the song was his ticket to Grammy-winning fame. Hear Cohn perform a concert from WXPN and World Café Live in Philadelphia.

Calling to mind early Radiohead, the Irish band Bell X1 crafts melodic, radio-friendly pop. Flock topped the Irish album charts in 2005, but it's only just been reissued in the U.S., with an ambitious tour to follow. Hear an interview and performance.