French TV declined to show a clip of French big cheese Nicolas Sarkozy looking a bit worse for wear at the G8 conference, but that didn't stop the Belgians broadcasting a press conference which, inevitably, has found its way onto YouTube:

As the presenter explains, Sarko "hadn't only drunk water". For his part, le grand fromage is heard to open with: "Je vous demande de bien vouloir excuser mon retard dû à la longueur du dialogue que je viens d'avoir avec monsieur Poutine", which, for those of you who didn't pay attention at school is more or less: "Please excuse my late arrival, which is because of the length of the discussion I've just had with Mr Putin."

Splendid. Good to see Putin is wooing the West in time-honoured Boris Yeltsin fashion. He's welcome down at Vulture Central any time for some "lengthy discussions". Budem zdorovy! ®

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