Blue Angels pilot killed:

SMYRNA, Tenn. — A Blue Angels F/A-18 fighter jet crashed Thursday near Nashville, Tennessee, killing the pilot just days before a weekend air show performance, officials said. A U.S. official said the pilot was Marine Capt. Jeff Kuss. The official was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. According to his official Blue Angels biography, Kuss joined the elite aerobatics team in 2014 and accumulated more than 1,400 flight hours. Harry Gill, the town manager in Smyrna just outside Nashville, said Thursday that the pilot was the only casualty and no civilians on the ground were hurt. The Navy said in a news release that the pilot was beginning to take off during an afternoon practice session when the crash happened. Five other F/A-18 jets landed safely moments after the crash.

Gorilla exhibit to reopen:

CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Zoo said Thursday it will reopen its gorilla exhibit next week with a higher, reinforced barrier after a 3-year-old boy got into the enclosure, leading to the fatal shooting of a male gorilla. Zoo spokeswoman Michelle Curley said the outer barrier will now be 42 inches high — a half foot taller than before — with solid wood beams on top and at the bottom, plus knotted rope netting at the bottom. The zoo said there had been no earlier breaches in Gorilla World’s 38-year history and that the previous barrier had passed multiple inspections by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, which accredits zoos. Meanwhile, a prosecutor reviewing the police investigation of the case said he’ll announce a decision on charges Monday.

Shooter had list, cops say:

LOS ANGELES — A former UCLA graduate student killed a woman in Minnesota before carrying two semi-automatic pistols back to the Los Angeles campus, where he fatally shot a young professor he once called a mentor, then killed himself, police said Thursday. The attack came after Mainak Sarkar, 38, had composed a list of names including the woman and two UCLA professors, police Chief Charlie Beck said. Detectives believe the shooter also intended to kill the second professor but couldn’t find him Wednesday, Beck said.

Missing Japanese boy found:

TOKYO — The 7-year-old Japanese boy who went missing nearly a week ago after his parents left him in a forest as punishment was found unharmed Friday, police said. The boy, missing since Saturday, was found Friday morning by a soldier in a military drill area on the northernmost main island of Hokkaido. Kyodo News service reported that the boy told police he had been in the drill area for several days after walking alone in the forest. NHK TV said his parents identified their son, who was taken to a hospital by helicopter for checkups. The boy suffered some dehydration but was not seriously injured, a doctor told Kyodo. The drill area where he was found was about three miles from where he disappeared. More than 180 rescuers, including troops, had been searching for him.

Calls to end brutal crackdown:

DAKAR, Senegal — Gambian activists and politicians have called on West Africa’s economic body to take actions against Gambia for its brutal crackdown on rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly in the run-up to elections later in the year. The calls come as Amnesty International released a report Thursday that says amid opposition protests, peaceful demonstrators and bystanders were beaten and arrested in April and May. The group says 51 people, including the leader and executive members of the opposition United Democratic Party, await trial and at least 36 others have been detained without charge. Opposition party secretary Solo Sandeng died in custody after torture, the group said, demanding accountability for President Yahya Jammeh, who has been in power since 1994. Gambians are forced to face a choice between speaking out or remaining safe, Amnesty said. New laws that further restricted the right to freedom of expression have been introduced since November 2011 elections, and journalists have fled Gambia because of persecution.

Fallujah outskirts secure:

CAMP TARIQ, Iraq — Iraqi forces say they are continuing to push into the Islamic State-held city of Fallujah, having secured its outskirts. Iraqi officers said Thursday that the large number of civilians in the city was slowing down the military operation, because it means fewer airstrikes can be carried out. Brig. Haider al-Obeidi says “there were fewer civilians in Ramadi, therefore airstrikes are now less than during Ramadi operation.” Iraqi forces are heavily dependent on airstrikes to achieve territorial victories against IS. The U.S.-led coalition says they have carried out four airstrikes against IS targets in and around Fallujah since Wednesday.