US Senate passes deal aimed at ending longest ever government shutdown

A deal aimed at ending the US government shutdown has passed the Senate, paving the way for the record-breaking impasse to be broken, BBC reported.

After a weekend of negotiations in Washington, a minority of Democrats joined with Republicans and voted in favour of an agreement. 

The vote is a procedural first step towards passing a compromise to fund the government since it ran out of money 1 October, according to BBC.