Norway halts adoptions from 4 Asian countries pending an investigation, newspaper reports

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — A newspaper in Norway says the country is halting adoptions of children from the Philippines, Thailand, Taiwan and South Korea pending an investigation into several allegedly illegal cases. The Norwegian Directorate for Children, Youth and Family Affairs told the VG newspaper that families already assigned a child from the the Philippines, Thailand or Taiwan will be allowed to complete the adoption process, but only after an assessment by the agency. The newspaper reported Tuesday that couples who received approval to adopt from South Korea also will be permitted to proceed even if they were not yet matched with a child. VG reported that some adopted children were sold and given false birth certificates.