Spain apologises to injured Catalans

A Spanish government official on Friday offered the first apology to Catalans injured by police during their outlawed independence vote, as the sides showed tentative signs of seeking to defuse the crisis.Catalan leaders had threatened to declare independence unilaterally and Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy vowed to stop them, rejecting calls for mediation in a dispute that has drawn cries of concern even from Barcelona and Real Madrid footballers.Spain's deepest political crisis in decades