Ashley Madison adultery website blocked in Singapore

Singapore's government has blocked access to the popular adultery website Ashley Madison amid a public outcry ahead of the company's planned launch of a portal for the city-state.

The Media Development Authority, which regulates the internet, said in a statement late Friday that it has blocked access to the Canada-based website because it is in "flagrant disregard of our family values and public morality."

The company, which promotes dating among married people, was planning to launch a Singapore portal later this month.

Many Singaporeans, including a Cabinet minister, have expressed outrage and urged the government to block the website.

With the slogan "Life is short. Have an affair," the website started in 2001 and has attracted more than 20 million users. It recently expanded to Japan, India and Hong Kong.