Though "overall readings remain historically weak," consumer confidence went up sharply this month, the private research group known as The Conference Board just reported.

Throughout the week, World Cafe travels to Dublin, Ireland — the first stop in a quarterly series called Sense of Place. We hope to give you an idea of the past and present of the city's local music scene and provide tips from musicians and music lovers for those hoping to visit this culturally rich town.

Home prices across the U.S. are still only "back to their first quarter of 2003 levels" and "drifted lower in September and the third quarter," according to the widely watched S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices, which were just released.

As The Associated Press says, the news is "the latest evidence that the troubled housing market won't recover any time soon."

Anders Behring Breivik had been delusional for a long time and was insane on July 22 when he killed 77 people during two horrific attacks in Norway, two psychiatrists reported today. He should be put in a psychiatric ward, not a prison, they conclude.

Diagnostic errors account for as much as 40 percent of medical malpractice claims. And communication lapses, including failing to pass along test results, make up a growing proportion of those claims, according to a recent study.

The work, published in the Journal of the American College of Radiology, shows that malpractice payouts due to communication failures more than quadrupled between 1991 and 2010, to $91 million annually.

Good morning.

Things have already been a bit busy, with some breaking news. Here are our early headlines:

-- American Airlines Files For Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection.

Protesters described by state media as "students" have broken into the British embassy in Tehran and there are reports of stones and "petrol bombs" being thrown.

This follows the vote by Iran's parliament on Sunday to further reduce ties with the U.K. because of Britain's support for tighter sanctions on Iran due to its suspected pursuit of nuclear weapons.

The parent company of one of the nation's largest airlines filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Tuesday morning. AMR Corporation, which runs American Airlines and American Eagle, said that bankruptcy is in the best interest of the companies and its stakeholders. The companies say the Chapter 11 process will enable them to continue conducting normal business operations while they restructure their debts.

American Airlines, one of the giants of the U.S. airline industry, just announced it is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.