A pall is hanging over the holiday season in Lexington, Nebraska, where the Tyson beef plant, by far the largest employer in small town, is set to lay off 3,200 people when the company closes the facility on Jan. 20, after three decades of operation. | AP

A pall is hanging over the holiday season in Lexington, Nebraska, where the Tyson beef plant, by far the largest employer in this small town, is set to lay off 3,200 people when the company closes its facility on Jan. 20 after three decades of operation. Tyson says it’s closing the plant to “right-size” its beef business after a historically low cattle herd in the U.S. and the company’s expected loss of $600 million on beef production next fiscal year. | AP

The Colosseum metro station in Rome, a long-delayed and complex project to bring a subway line under ancient Roman ruins and through Rome’s historic center, opened to the public for the first time on Tuesday. | AP

A Russian general was killed Monday morning after an explosive device detonated underneath his car in southern Moscow, investigators said. | AP