Haiku Herman to publish poems

EU President Herman Van Rompuy, known to some as Haiku Herman, will publish a book of poetry next month.

The former Belgian Prime Minister is an avid writer of haiku, a traditional Japanese form of poetry. Van Rompuy has been criticised as boring since he was picked for the EU's top job in November but some say his haikus stand out.

Haikus are unrhymed verses of three lines. Van Rompuy sometimes writes them on political themes, including one last year to laud Belgian-Spanish-Hungarian co-operation: "Three waves. Roll into port together. The trio is home."