From Washington, this is VOA news. I'm Anne Ball reporting.

Hopes for a quick vote on legislation to keep the U.S. government operating beyond midnight hit a snag on Thursday when Republican Senator Rand Paul put a roadblock to voting because he first wanted debate on his amendment to kill the measure's increased federal spending.

"But really who's to blame? Both parties. We have a 700-page bill that no one has read that was printed at midnight. No one will read this bill, nothing will be reformed, the waste will continue and government will keep taking your money irresponsibly and adding to a $20 trillion debt."

That's Senator Rand Paul speaking on the Senate floor.

Stocks plunged again Thursday and, and for the second time in four days, the Dow Jones Industrial Average sank more than 1,000 points. It's the fifth loss in six days. The Dow and Standard & Poor's 500 have dropped 10 percent.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 1,032 points.

And, U.S. military officials say coalition airstrikes in northern Syria killed about 1,000 pro-government fighters who were part of an attack on U.S.-backed opposition forces.

The U.S.-led coalition says the pro-government fighters carried out an unprovoked attack against well-established Syrian Democratic Forces headquarters.

For more on this story and the U.S. government shutdown, if that happens, follow us. This is VOA news.

The White House is facing questions following the resignation of a key adviser to President Donald Trump. Rob Porter resigned Wednesday after two of his former wives claimed he physically and emotionally abused them.

White House spokesman Raj Shah called the abuse allegations "serious."

"It's important to remember that Rob Porter has repeatedly denied these allegations, and done so publicly. That doesn't change how serious and disturbing these allegations are. They're upsetting, and the background check investigates both the allegations and the denials. The investigation does not stop when allegations come to light, it continues to determine the truth."

Shah added that Porter's background investigation was ongoing and that he was operating on an interim security clearance.

In North Korea, the government staged a military parade in Pyongyang Thursday, one day before the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics in rival South Korea.

The parade normally held in April, but the government said it was moving the celebration to February 8 in an apparent attempt to draw international attention before it turns to Friday's Olympics opening ceremonies in South Korea.

Kim Jong Un has sent a large delegation to South Korea to take part in the Winter Olympics, including his sister, who is a senior member of the North's ruling Workers' Party.

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert says the U.S. will not allow the North to drive a wedge between the U.S. and South Korea and Japan.

"The United States will not back away from its ally, and no one is going to drive a wedge between the United States and the Republic of Korea and the United States and also Japan."

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and China's top diplomat Yang Jiechi on Thursday reaffirmed the commitment of Washington and Beijing to exert pressure on Pyongyang over its nuclear weapons.

During the meeting, "Both sides reaffirmed President Trump's and President Xi's commitment to keep up the pressure on North Korea's illegal weapons and nuclear programs," spokesman Heather Nauert told reporters.

Meanwhile, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence is in South Korea leading the U.S. delegation to the Winter Olympics.

I'm Anne Ball in Washington.

That's the latest world news from VOA.