A Saudi football team refused to play a match in Iran on Monday because of the presence of busts of a slain Iranian general placed on the sidelines, Saudi state media reported.

The Saudi Al Ittihad club was scheduled to play Iran's Sepahan in the the Asian Champions League, one of several matches made possible by a recent diplomatic rapprochement between the longtime Mideast rivals that has recently come under strain.

Syrian state media said Tuesday that the Israeli military carried out airstrikes in a strategic eastern province wounding two soldiers and causing material damage. There was no comment from Israel on the reported strikes.

Syria's state news agency, SANA, quoted an unnamed military official as saying the airstrikes late Monday targeted military positions in Deir el-Zour.

Planted in a field, Vincent van Gogh painted furiously, bending the thick oils, riotous yellows and sumptuous blues to his will. The resulting masterpiece, "Wheatfield with Crows," bursts off the canvas like technicolor champagne. Art historians believe the Dutch master painted it on July 8, 1890.

As far as they can tell, Van Gogh then churned out another stunning work the very next day, July 9, of more wheat fields under thunderous clouds. In the painting's vibrant greens, the mind's eye can imagine the artist working frantically amid the sashaying stalks.

Attorney General Merrick Garland has said in an interview that aired that he would resign if asked by President Joe Biden to take action against Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump. But he doesn't think he'll be put in that position.

"I am sure that that will not happen, but I would not do anything in that regard," he said on CBS "60 Minutes." "And if necessary, I would resign. But there is no sense that anything like that will happen."

Atletico Madrid rallied from a two-goal deficit to win its third straight game and move into the Champions League spots in the Spanish league.

With a brace from Ángel Correa and a goal by Nahuel Molina, Atletico went from 2-1 down at halftime to beating Cadiz 3-2 on Sunday at the Metropolitano Stadium.

Bayern Munich is still looking for consistency as it prepares to visit Copenhagen for its second group game in the Champions League on Tuesday.

The Bavarian powerhouse was somewhat fortunate to draw at Leipzig 2-2 in the Bundesliga on Saturday, while it endured a nervy finale against Manchester United before prevailing 4-3 in its Group A opening game in the Champions League last month.

Business sentiment among big Japanese manufacturers improved in July-September for the second straight quarter, according to a central bank survey released Monday.

The Bank of Japan's "tankan" quarterly survey measured business sentiment among major manufacturers at plus 9, up from plus 5 in June.

The last bus carrying ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh left the region Monday, completing a grueling weeklong exodus of over 100,000 people — more than 80% of the residents — after Azerbaijan reclaimed the area in a lightning military operation.

Britain's Treasury chief is to announce a hike in the national minimum wage on Monday, as the governing Conservative Party tries to persuade voters it is on the side of those who are struggling financially.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt has ruled out tax cuts, saying they would fuel inflation.

Shares were mostly lower in Europe and Asia on Monday even after the U.S. Congress averted a U.S. government shutdown with a last-minute compromise.

Markets in China are closed for a weeklong holiday. Markets in India and South Korea also were closed.