Smelly seaweed blights Mexico beaches

An infestation of a seaweed-like algae along some of Mexico's most visited Caribbean beaches has pitted the local community against the president, who has described the problem as a "minor issue".

In a long-running issue attributed by many researchers to climate change, sargassum has covered the popular white sandbanks, turning the pristine waters brown and leaving a strong odor as it decomposes, alarming residents, businesses and, obviously, tourists, the BBC reports.