Image credit: BBC| GETTY Images

Japanese officials have raided the country’s biggest beer makers over allegations they worked together to raise the price of their beverages.

Asahi, Sapporo, Kirin and Suntory Spirits confirmed to the BBC that their premises had been searched by the Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC), adding that they would fully cooperate with the regulator.

The four firms dominate Japan’s beer market, with their drinks a common sight in supermarkets and convenience stores across the country.

Asahi, Kirin and Sapporo all saw their share price fall after news of the investigation broke on Wednesday. Suntory’s beer business is not publicly-listed.

“I do not deny that an investigation is being conducted today, but I’d like to refrain from commenting on the details as a preliminary review is underway,” JFTC Secretary General Iwanari Hiroo said, according to local media.

Hundreds of students in the Belgian city of Liège took to the streets protesting rising education costs, according to Belga news agency.

Tuition fees for most students in Belgium’s French-speaking Community, was increased from €835 to €1,194.

Local media reported that 107 people had been arrested in recent days, for offences linked to property damage and arson.

The protesters are challenging conditions in Belgium’s French-language education system, citing rising costs, overcrowded classrooms and difficulties accessing study materials.

Students carried placards expressing their frustration, including messages calling for education to be treated as a right rather than a privilege.

•Muluwork Ambaw

An Ethiopian woman, Muluwork Ambaw, has claimed that she has not eaten food or drunk water since she was 10 years old, saying she suddenly lost her appetite as a child.

Ambaw, who is now 26 and lives in Jimma, Ethiopia, said her last meal was lentil stew before she stopped eating and drinking.

Her extraordinary claim gained international attention after travel content creator Drew Binsky visited her in Ethiopia and documented her story and daily life.

According to Ambaw, the change began when her family would ask her to have breakfast before going to school.

Her extraordinary claim gained international attention after travel content creator Drew Binsky visited her in Ethiopia and documented her story and daily life.

According to Ambaw, the change began when her family would ask her to have breakfast before going to school.

“I used to live with my family, and they asked me to eat breakfast and go to school. I said I had eaten, but I was pretending,” she said, according to an account shared by Binsky.

Ambaw said she simply stopped feeling hungry or thirsty and has continued living without consuming food or water.

Despite claiming not to eat, Ambaw said she enjoys preparing meals for her family and visitors.

She reportedly grows vegetables in her garden so she can cook fresh food when her sister or guests visit.

“I cook as much as I want, but I have no appetite,” she said.