MADRID J.J. Hardy Orioles Jersey , April 21 (Xinhua) -- Formula 1 racing driver Michael Schumacher is being sued for causing a traffic accident in Spain last November, media reports said on Monday.

Schumacher, who is in a coma after suffering head injuries whilst skiing on December 29 last year at the French resort of Meribel, is facing charges as the result of a collision with a motorcyclist which took place in the town of Bormujos, close to Seville on November 17 last year.

The seven times Formula 1 world champion is accused of not respecting right of way at a roundabout, knocking the motorcyclist, Francisco M.A off his bike and causing him to badly break his wrist as well as damaging his motorbike.

Schumacher, who was on a private visit to Spain, was driving a rented Audi A4 at the time of the accident and poor lighting on the road has also been muted as helping to contribute to the collision.

A trial will only take place if insurers contest the claim and the 45-year-old German would not have to attend any court hearing.

Schumacher has been in a medically induced coma since his skiing accident, although a week ago his manager confirmed that he is "showing small signs of progress" and interacting with his surroundings.

"There are moments when he is awake and moments when he is conscious, which make us happy and give us great courage," Sabine Kehm told German broadcaster ARD on April 14.

Photo taken on Jan. 18, 2018 shows collapsed roofs on a road in Menden, Germany, on Jan. 18, 2018. Storm "Friederike" brought powerful winds, heavy rain, and snowfall to parts of Germany on Thursday, causing at least three fatality and severe disruption to railway lines. (XinhuaJoachim Bywaletz)

BERLIN, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) -- Storm Friederike brought powerfulwinds, heavy rain, and snowfall to parts of Germany on Thursday,causing at least one fatality and severe disruption to railwaylines.

A 59-year-old man was killed by a falling tree and severalpeople were injured in similar incidents throughout the countryfollowing the arrival of storm in the morning.

Trains ceased operation in the states of North-Rhine Westphaliaand Lower Saxony, leaving many passengers stranded. Furthermore,travel speeds of trains in other parts of Germany were slowedconsiderably in reaction to hurricane-strength gusts.

So far, extreme wind strengths of up to 130 km per hour havebeen measured at higher elevations of Western Germany. Largeamounts of snow fell closer to the Alps in the state ofBaden-Wuerttemberg.

The national meteorological service (DWD) has advised citizensto remain indoors in areas most-affected by the storm due to risksposed by falling debris, de-rooted trees, and potential damage topower lines. Schools in several German states were closed for theday.

Major airports have been adversely affected by the weather aswell. Flights were cancelled out of security concerns atDuesseldorf airport, while the Cologne-Bonn airport was forced totemporarily close down entirely.

The DWD believes Friederike will leave behind less damage thanexperienced after storm Xavier in October 2017. At the time, treescarried more leaves and were particularly prone to collapse underwind pressure due to their larger surface area. Seven people werekilled in related incidents.

Meteorologists expect the current storm to travel on fromWestern Germany to the states of Saxony and Southern Brandenburgover the course of Thursday. Throughout the country, weatherpatterns will remain unsteady in the coming days while temperaturesdrop. Enditem

People wave Spanish national flags in a march with the slogan "Enough and let's recover the sensibility", to defend the Spanish constitution and the unity of Spain in Barcelona, Spain, Oct. 8, 2017. (Xinhua file photoJuan Carlos Rojas)

BRUSSELS, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) -- Ousted Catalonian president Carles Puigdemont, as well as five of his advisers, is in Belgium, amidst speculation he could apply for political asylum, local media reported on Monday.

After first confirming Puigdemont's presence in Brussels for a private meeting with the N-VA, the Flemish nationalist and conservative party, the Belgian media relayed the information from Belgian Vice-prime minister Jan Jambon that Puigdemont had not been invited by the N-VA and that nothing had been organized in any way for this.

According to Spanish newspapers, however, Puigdemont is in Belgium to apply for political asylum.

Spain's Attorney-General Jose Manuel Maza announced on Monday morning that Puigdemont was being sued because of his unilateral declaration of independence last Friday. The sacked president is being prosecuted for rebellion as well as sedition and misuse of public funds. He could face up to 30 years in prison.

The application for political asylum has not yet been confirmed by local media and Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel has not given any comment.

For the Spanish government, the application for political asylum is "a pure sign of despair", local Belgian newspaper La Libre reported.

The Spanish government took charge of Catalonia's administration on Friday shortly after the declaration of independence. Madrid appointed Soraya Saenz de Santamaria, Spain's deputy prime minister, to replace Puigdemont as the head of the region, whose former parliament has been dissolved.

Last week-end, Belgian asylum and migration Secretary of State Theo Francken said Belgium would be ready to grant Puigdemont political asylum. However, this was quickly denied by the prime minister who said it was not "on the agenda of the day" and asked Francken not to "add fuel to the fire".

Interviewed by radio and tv news station RTBF, a professor specializing in European law for migration and asylum policies at the Free University of Brussels (ULB) warned about the consequences of granting such a re.