A committee in the U.S. Senate voted to approve aid for workers who lose their jobs due to trade, part of a package of bills key to closing a Pacific trade pact. The Senate Finance Committee voted 17 to 9 for an extension of trade adjustment assistance, which Democrats had demanded to accompany a bill to fast track trade deals through Congress. The White House has said passage of the fast-track bill is critical to nailing down the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade pact central to President Barack Obama's strategic "pivot" toward Asia. (Reuters)