US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis has warned that the threat of nuclear missile attack by North Korea is accelerating. In remarks in Seoul with South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo at his side, Mattis accused the North of illegal and unnecessary missile and nuclear programs - and vowed to defeat any attack. Mattis said North Korea engages in "outlaw" behavior and that the US will never accept a nuclear North. He added that regardless of what the North might try, it is over-matched by the firepower and cohesiveness of the decades-old US-South Korean alliance. "North Korea has accelerated the threat that it poses to its neighbours and the world through its illegal and unnecessary missile and nuclear weapons programs," he said, adding that US-South Korean military and diplomatic collaboration thus has taken on "a new urgency." North Korea’s nuclear progress - estimated yields per test "I cannot imagine a condition under which the United States would accept North Korea as a nuclear power," he said. As he emphasised throughout his week-long Asia trip, which included stops in Thailand and the Philippines, Mattis said diplomacy remains the preferred way to deal with the North. "With that said," he added, "make no mistake - any attack on the United States or our allies will be defeated, and any use of nuclear weapons by the North will be met with a massive military response that is effective and overwhelming." Mattis' comments did not go beyond his recent statements of concern about North Korea, although he appeared to inject a stronger note about the urgency of resolving the crisis. While he accused the North of "outlaw" behavior, he did not mention that President Donald Trump has ratcheted up his own rhetoric. In August, Trump warned the North not to make any more threats against the United States, and said that if it did, it would be met with "fire and fury like the world has never seen." Song, the South Korean minister, told the news conference that he and Mattis agreed to further cooperation on strengthening Seoul's defense capabilities, including lifting warhead payload limits on South Korean conventional missiles and supporting the country's acquisition of "most advanced military assets." He offered no specifics and refused to answer when asked whether the discussions included nuclear-powered submarines. Some South Korean government officials have endorsed the nation getting nuclear-powered submarines amid calls for more military strength. There's a growing concern among the South Korean public that North Korea's expanding nuclear weapons arsenal, which may soon include an intercontinental ballistic missile that could target the U.S. mainland, would undermine Seoul's decadeslong alliance with Washington. South Korea's conservative politicians have also called for the United States to bring back tactical nuclear weapons that were withdrawn from the Korean Peninsula in the 1990s, which they say would make clearer the U.S. intent to use nukes in a crisis. But Mattis and Song were strongly dismissive of the idea. "When considering national interest, it's much better not to deploy them," said Song, adding that the allies would have "sufficient means" to respond to a North Korean nuclear attack even without placing tactical nukes in the South. Mattis said current U.S. strategic assets are already providing nuclear deterrence and that the South Korean government has never approached him with the subject of tactical nukes. North Korea | Kim Jong-un’s fiery relationship with the US Also discussed in the meeting were the conditions under which South Korea would be given wartime operational control of its forces. Currently, if war with the North broke out, the South's forces would operate under the US-led UN Command. Trump entered office declaring his commitment to solving the North Korea problem, asserting that he would succeed where his predecessors had failed. His administration has sought to increase pressure on Pyongyang through UN Security Council sanctions and other diplomatic efforts, but the North hasn't budged from its goal of building a full-fledged nuclear arsenal, including missiles capable of striking the US mainland. If Trump sticks to his pledge to stop the North from being able to threaten the US with a nuclear attack, something will have to give - either a negotiated tempering of the North's ambitions or a US acceptance of the North as a nuclear power. The other alternative would be US military action to attempt to neutralize or eliminate the North's nuclear assets - a move fraught with risk for South Korea, Japan and the United States.

A man from Oxford who converted to Islam and travelled to Syria has been charged with being a member of islamic State.  Jack Letts, 21, dubbed "Jihadi Jack", was arrested by Kurdish forces in northern Syria after fleeing the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) stronghold of Raqqa.  A statement from the Democratic Federation of Northern Syria (DFNS) - a self-declared autonomous region - said Mr Letts had been taken to a prison in Qamishli, Rojava, northern Syria. Letts travelled to Syria in 2014 - having earlier converted to Islam while at school in Cherwell - and is understood to have been captured in May 2017. He was pictured with long hair and beard in Isil territory in Syria holding his index finger up to the sky, an Islamic gesture used by Isil as a symbol of their cause.  John Letts and his wife Sally Lane arrive at Westminster Magistrates Court in June 2016 Credit: SWNS He married in Iraq and now has a child. In a conversation with the BBC in June from his prison cell, he said he hired a smuggler to help him escape the caliphate by motorbike before walking through a minefield into Kurdish territory. Letts says he doesn't want anything to do with Isil.  "I hate them more than the Americans hate them," said. 'I realised they were not upon the truth so they put me in prison three times and threatened to kill me." His parents have denied he went to Syria to fight with Isil, and started a petition to protest his innocence.  Foreign Office minister Rory Stewart asserted last week that the only way to deal with British Isis fighters in Syria would be “in almost every case, to kill them”. Mr Letts’ parents, Sally Lane and John Letts, criticised Mr Stewart for “arbitrarily [calling] for extrajudicial killings on uncharged British citizens”, adding that the minister appeared to be “supported by Downing Street”.  The couple are awaiting trial following claims that they funded terrorism by sending money to their son - charges which they deny.

The EU's most senior official warned that "more cracks" were emerging in the bloc on Friday after the Catalan parliament declared independence from Spain, plunging the country into political and economic turmoil. Madrid swiftly responded to the vote by dissolving the Catalan parliament and dismissing Carles Puigdemont as president of Catalonia and his entire government.  Mariano Rajoy, the Spanish prime minister, announced that regional elections would be held in December and said the unprecedented act of imposing direct rule on the regional was needed to "recover normality". The national police may be deployed to bring Catalonia under Madrid's control. The shock decision to declare independence poses potentially the greatest threat to the EU's unity since Brexit, and is likely to fuel support for separatist movements in Ireland, Scotland and the Basque Country. Rajoy dissolves Catalan parliament and calls snap election 00:44 "[The EU] doesn't need any more cracks, more splits ... we shouldn't insert ourselves into what is an internal debate for Spain, but I wouldn't want the European Union to consist of 95 member states in the future," warned Jean-Claude Juncker, the European Commission president, on Friday evening. The crisis marks the first time that a region within an EU member state has broken away from the bloc, though movements demanding more independence exist in several countries. People celebrate after Catalonia's parliament voted to declare independence from Spain on October 27, 2017 Credit:  PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU Catalans cheered, hugged and drank Cava Thousands of pro-independence activists clapped and cheered in the streets of Barcelona as the votes were counted, before breaking into a spontaneous rendition of Catalonia's regional anthem. Many drank from bottles of Cava, a sparkling wine produced in Catalonia, as they waved the region's red-and-yellow flag and hugged each other. But in Madrid, the senate reacted by granting sweeping powers to Mr Rajoy which will allow him to impose direct rule over the rogue region. “I have dissolved the parliament of Catalonia and on December 21 there will be elections in that region,” he said. “I have decided to call those free, fair and legal elections to restore democracy. We never wanted to reach this situation.” Protesters shouts slogans during a rally outside the Catalan Parliament, in Barcelona He earlier said: "Spain is a serious country, a great nation, and we are not going to watch while a few individuals try to liquidate our constitution." The beleaguered prime minister held a crisis cabinet meeting on Friday evening, as the United States, France and Germany reiterated their support for a united Spain. Pido tranquilidad a todos los españoles. El Estado de Derecho restaurará la legalidad en Cataluña. MR— Mariano Rajoy Brey (@marianorajoy) October 27, 2017 Theresa May also rejected the independence vote and said it was crucial that unity in Spain was upheld. “The UK does not and will not recognise the Unilateral Declaration of Independence made by the Catalan regional parliament. It is based on a vote that was declared illegal by the Spanish courts," she said. "We continue to want to see the rule of law upheld, the Spanish Constitution respected, and Spanish unity preserved." Donald Tusk, the European Council president, said Madrid "remains our only interlocutor" following the independence vote. "I hope the Spanish government favours force of argument, not argument of force," he said. Catalan leader faces arrest A senior Spanish official said the justice ministry was now pursuing rebellion charges against those responsible for the vote, including Catalan president Carles Puigdemont. Under Spanish law, rebellion can be punished with up to 30 years in prison, with shorter penalties if the act of rebellion doesn't lead to violence. The Catalan resolution, which Madrid has dismissed as illegal, was passed by 70 votes to 10 and caused shares in Spanish companies, particularly Catalan banks, to drop sharply. CaixaBank, Spain's third largest lender, fell by around five per cent while Sabadell, the country's fifth largest lender, fell roughly six per cent. All public services to be controlled by Spain Mr Rajoy's powers were granted to him under Article 155 of the Spanish constitution, which is designed to prevent the country's 17 regions from breaking away. It is understood that a new leadership structure will now be imposed on the region’s Mossos d’Esqudra police force, whose current chief, Major Josep Lluís Trapero, is already facing a judicial investigation for alleged sedition. Madrid may also assume power over the region’s finances, including taxes and all public spending approved by Catalan officials. All Catalan public services will be subject to direct control from Madrid, potentially including the public broadcaster TV3, which has been accused of bias towards the pro-independence government. Madrid moves to suspend Catalan government 01:04 Speaking after the vote, Fernando Martínez-Maíllo, chief spokesman for Mr Rajoy's Popular Party, said the Spanish government would "proceed in a matter of hours to restore legality in Catalonia with the application of Article 155." Calls for mass civil disobedience But the main secessionist group in Catalonia, the Catalan National Assembly (ANC), called on civil servants to refuse orders from the Spanish government in an act of "peaceful resistance". Roughly the size of Belgium, the wealthy Catalan region accounts for about 16 per cent of Spain's population and a fifth of its economic output. Resentment towards interference from Madrid has been fermenting for years, and earlier this month sparked an independence vote deemed illegal by the central government and the courts. While fiercely protective of their language, culture and autonomy - restored at the end of the 1939-1975 dictatorship of Francisco Franco - Catalans are deeply divided on independence. Catalan authorities said 90 per cent voted "Yes" in the unregulated October plebiscite but turnout was only 43 percent as many who oppose a split boycotted the referendum. People react as they watch on giant screens a plenary session outside the Catalan regional parliament in Barcelona That vote was marred by violence, with more than 850 people injured by Spanish police who deployed to stop Catalans from voting. The EU was fiercely criticised for its slowness in condemning the violence, despite its track record of taking a hard line against crackdowns on democracy in the Middle East and Asia. Spanish flag taken down in Girona Local reporter Maria Garcia posted the following video on Twitter, which shows that the Spanish flag has been removed from Girona's town hall. Després de treure la bandera espanyola de l'ajuntament, ara han tret la de la seu de la Generalitat a Girona #QueNoPariLaFestapic.twitter.com/i6hOIHsWGP— Maria Garcia (@MariutGarcia) October 27, 2017 How much support is there for independence in Catalonia? Carmen Calvo, a former minister and the party’s chief negotiator with the Rajoy government on the terms of Article 155, said “Puigdemont can still call elections within the law”. Mr Puigdemont was expected to call snap elections on Thursday, but finally decided that he lacked “guarantees” that would allow a ballot to be held without repression from Spain’s authorities. How Catalonia is so important to Spain The ruling Popular Party does not need the votes of socialist senators to trigger the application of Article 155, but Mr Rajoy has been at pains to seek broad support. PSOE negotiated the terms of the social powers being invoked, but then said that snap elections should mean a stay on direct rule being imposed. The centrist Ciudadanos, which leads opposition to Catalan nationalism in the region’s parliament, has pledged its support to the government. The signing and celebrating outside Parliament of #Catalan independence seekers realise independence declaration is going ahead ... pic.twitter.com/J1Gh1YEzha— Gavin Lee (@GavinLeeBBC) October 27, 2017 The Left-wing Podemos, the only national party to support a legal referendum in Catalonia, opposes both the imposition of Article 155 and any unilateral declaration of independence. Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias said on Thursday that “elections in Catalonia will not resolve the problem, but they will make it more difficult to apply [Article] 155 and provide more time to seek dialogue”.

Every Friday we use the powers of Marvel Unlimited to look back at the very first appearance of a major character, place or object that made waves this week.

Klaw made his diabolical return to comics with this week’s BLACK PANTHER #166. He and T’Challa have raged against each other for years, which means that he makes an excellent candidate for this week’s FLASHBACK FRIDAY!

The character debuted in a very different form back in 1966’s FANTASTIC FOUR #53 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, which also happened to be Black Panther’s second appearance. In the previous issue, T’Challa brought the Fantastic Four to Wakanda and challenged them physically. In this one, though, he revealed his true purpose for bringing them to his homeland.  

Fantastic Four (1961) #53

• Published: August 10, 1966
• Added to Marvel Unlimited: November 13, 2007
• Penciller: Jack Kirby
• Cover Artist: Jack Kirby

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What is Marvel Unlimited?

The king showed his guests around and explained both the mantle of the Black Panther and the existence of Vibranium. In a flashback, we met Klaw who had arrived in Wakanda to mine the unique element. He needed it to power his own invention, the Sound Transformer. When T’Challa’s father refused permission, Klaw killed him.

Back in the present, Wakanda had been plagued by mysterious red creatures that left no trace when they finally fell in battle. While the Fantastic Four fought the projections, T’Challa went after the perpetrator himself. Klaw intended to kill anyone who stood between him and the Vibranium he craved. To put a stop to his enemy and avenge his father, T’Challa brought an entire mountain down on Klaw.

Instead of dying, though, the villain leaped into his own sound converter, thus turning his body into pure sound. The villain returned in a far more familiar form not long after in the pages of FANTASTIC FOUR #56. He popped up out of nowhere to trap Mr. Fantastic and Thing in Reed’s lab.  

Fantastic Four (1961) #56

• Published: November 10, 1966
• Added to Marvel Unlimited: November 13, 2007
• Penciller: Jack Kirby
• Cover Artist: Jack Kirby

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What is Marvel Unlimited?

Klaw then attacked Sue Storm and explained his new look and powers. “My physical structure is now composed of solidified sound – sound which serves me as a weapon, far greater than any ever known!”

Sue did her best to hold her own against the mad villain looking to prove himself. Meanwhile, Ben and Reed continued to try and escape from Klaw’s trap, which they eventually did! After Thing failed to drop the bad guy, Reed received a pair of Vibranium knuckles rocketed to Manhattan by T’Challa.

Properly armed, Richards knocked Klaw out with a few punches that would make Ben Grimm proud before smothering him with his own stretchy body. Having properly drained the villain of his powers, the team disabled his weaponry and then thanked Black Panther for his well-timed delivery.

Flash Forward

Klaw returned next in AVENGERS #54–55 as a member of the Masters of Evil along with Whirlwind, Melter, Black Knight and Radioactive Man lead by the mysterious Crimson Cowl who turned out to be Ultron-5. The villains worked well together to take out the heroes! In the second issue, Klaw tried killing the Crimson Cowl, but failed. He then swore his allegiance. That failed to help, though, as the Avengers eventually escaped and Black Panther appropriately put Klaw down in the final battle. 

Fantastic Four (1961) #56

• Published: November 10, 1966
• Added to Marvel Unlimited: November 13, 2007
• Penciller: Jack Kirby
• Cover Artist: Jack Kirby

Read Buy Digital Copy

What is Marvel Unlimited?

It’s the weekend and we’re here to give you the gift of a brand new episode of This Week in Marvel, the official Marvel podcast!

Ryan, Ben and Tucker give you the rundown of all this week’s latest and greatest comics releases including BLACK PANTHER, SILVER SURFER, ALL-NEW WOLVERINE, and so much more. Enjoy a chat with red hot writer Matthew Rosenberg (1:13:13) and then head on over to the west coast where Christine and Eric give you a thorough report on the latest movie and TV news (1:54:45). We close it all out with your questions and comments answered (2:10:06)!

Feast your eyes on an exclusive look from TALES OF SUSPENSE courtesy of Matthew Rosenberg and editor Alanna Smith!

Download episode #313 of This Week in Marvel from Marvel.com, check out Marvel Podcast Central, grab the TWiM RSS feed and subscribe to This Week in Marvel on iTunes, so you never miss an episode! We are now also on Soundcloud! Head over now to our new hub to listen to the full run of This Week in Marvel!

This Week in Marvel will focus on delivering all the Marvel info on news and new releases–from comics to video games to toys to TV to film and beyond! New episodes will be released every Friday (or so) and TWiM is co-hosted by Marvel VP & Executive Editor of Digital Media Ryan “Agent M” Penagos and Marvel Editorial Director of Digital Media Ben Morse, along with Marvel.com Editor Eric Goldman, Marvel.com Assistant Editor Christine Dinh, and Manager of Video & Content Production Blake Garris. We also want your feedback, as well as questions for us to answer on future episodes!  Tweet your questions, comments and thoughts about TWiM to @AgentM, @BenJMorse, @chrissypedia or @Marvel with the hashtag #ThisWeekinMarvel!