Los Angeles - Police in southern California Wednesday were investigating a brutal shooting spree in which one person was killed and three injured at a secluded retreat operated by a Korean-based Christian group.

The Los Angeles Times reported that the suspect in the late Tuesday killings was a 69-year-old man named John Chong who was known around the retreat centre as "Uncle". Police said that he first killed a woman and injured her husband in their bungalow and then went to another house on the property, where two residents succeeded in fighting him off.

Washington  - The United States said Wednesday it would join other permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany in talks with Iran over its suspected nuclear programme.

Confirming that the US will join the process, State Department spokesman Robert Wood said European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana was asked to invite the Iranian government to meet representatives of the so-called P5+1, which comprises the five permanent members of the UN Security Council - the US, Britain, China, France and Russia - plus Germany.

Washington  - Crew members retook control of a US-flagged cargo ship that was hijacked off the coast of Somalia on Wednesday, but the ship's captain was still being held hostage.

Captain Richard Phillips was being held by the pirates on the ship's 28-foot lifeboat and was alive, second mate Ken Quinn told broadcaster CNN.

Quinn confirmed that the crew was in control of the ship and was waiting for additional support from a US Naval destroyer, which was a few hours away.

Havana/Washington  - After meeting with US lawmakers, Cuba's retired leader Fidel Castro said Wednesday that while he believes US President Barack Obama's intentions towards Cuba are "sincere," they clash with the "objective reality" within the United States.

In an article published Wednesday in Cuban state media, Castro spoke of his two-hour meeting Tuesday with three members of the US Congressional Black Caucus.

The man who formally stepped down from power in Cuba in February 2008 after almost half-a-century was reacting to comments made by US Democratic Representative Laura Richardson.

Tehran - An Iranian-American reporter detained in Tehran for alleged illegal press activities has been charged with espionage, local media reported Wednesday.

Roxana Saberi, 31, a reporter for US-based National Public Radio (NPR), was initially detained for buying alcohol and has been held in Tehran's Evin prison since the end of January.

In March, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassan Ghashghavi said Saberi was denied official press accreditation since 2006 and was working illegally.

Washington  - The captain of the US-operated cargo ship that was hijacked off the coast of Somalia on Wednesday has been taken hostage, a crew member confirmed.

Captain Joseph Murphy was being held by the pirates on the ship's lifeboat and was alive, second mate Ken Quinn told broadcaster CNN.

He also said that the crew was in control of the ship and was waiting for additional support from a US Naval destroyer, which was about three hours away.