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French start-up company Ynsect has identified a cheap, nourishing and locally sourced alternative to soybeans as a vital source of protein in animal feed. The clue is in its name. Ynsect is not alone in looking to invertebrates to meet a jump in demand for meat and fish, and so for feed, in coming decades. Black soldier flies, common housefly larvae, silkworms and yellow mealworms were named as among the most promising species for industrial feed output in a report last month by the FAO, the United Nations food agency.   "Given insects' natural role as food for a number of farmed livestock species, it is worth reconsidering their role as feed for specific poultry and fish species," the Food and Agriculture Organization's report said. Jean-Gabriel Levon, co-founder of Ynsect, said new protein sources were essential in a market where costs are set to climb. "Insects are an interesting source which can be bred locally," Levon said. "We are in the sa

Chinese authorities have given courts the powers to hand down the death penalty in serious pollution cases, state media said, as the government tries to assuage growing public anger at environmental desecration. _0"> An increasingly affluent urban population has begun to object to China's policy of growth at all costs, which has fuelled the economy for three decades, with the environment emerging as a focus of concern and protests. A new judicial interpretation which took effect on Wednesday would impose "harsher punishments" and tighten "lax and superficial" enforcement of the country's environmental protection laws, the official Xinhua news agency reported. "In the most serious cases the death penalty could be handed down," it said.   "With more precise criteria for convictions and sentencing, the judicial explanation provides a powerful legal weapon for law enforcement, which is expected to facilitate the work of judges and ti

"Man of Steel," the big-budget reboot of the Superman franchise, leaped over the apocalyptic buddy comedy "This is the End," collecting a muscular $113.1 million to lead the domestic box office with the year's second-largest debut weekend and the biggest June opening ever. "Man of Steel," starring British-born Henry Cavill in the first Superman movie released in seven years, carried a hefty budget of $225 million and took in a total of $125 million through Sunday including early screenings, according to BoxOffice.com.   The special-effects laden film is the story of the infant Kal-El, who escapes his doomed home planet Krypton and grows up in the idyllic town of Smallville with his parents, played by Kevin Costner and Diane Lane. Amy Adams plays the budding super hero's girlfriend Lois Lane. The film, directed by Zack Snyder, with Christopher Nolan ("The Dark Knight," "Inception") serving as co-writer and one of its produce

Veteran British rock bands Motorhead and Black Sabbath were crowned the kings of heavy metal on Monday, winning the top accolades at the UK's top metal music awards, the Metal Hammer Golden Gods. Motorhead, best known for its 1980 hit "Ace of Spades", received the Golden Gods awards at the 11th annual ceremony for making a significant contribution to the rock and heavy metal industry over nearly four decades.   Black Sabbath won the award for best album for "13" which soared to No. 1 in the British charts on Sunday, giving the band its first number one album in nearly 43 years which is a record interval between chart-toppers. The band, which is scheduled to begin a U.S. tour this summer followed by concerts in South America and Europe later in the year, also won the award for best UK band. "From honoring the lords of our world Black Sabbath and the crown princes of rock and roll Motorhead as well as today's most cutting-edge acts, there's simp

Former advertising tycoon Charles Saatchi on Monday downplayed photographs in which he is shown grabbing his wife, celebrity chef Nigella Lawson, around the neck, saying it was just a "playful tiff." _0"> Britain's Sunday People newspaper published photographs of Saatchi with his hands around his wife's neck, and with her in tears, while they were having dinner on the terrace of a London restaurant. The 70-year-old multimillionaire art collector was also photographed pinching 53-year-old Lawson's nose before walking away from a seafood restaurant in upmarket Mayfair on June 9.   Saatchi, who writes a column for The Evening Standard, told the newspaper that he recognized the impact of the pictures but said they conveyed the wrong impression. "About a week ago, we were sitting outside a restaurant having an intense debate about the children, and I held Nigella's neck repeatedly while attempting to emphasize my point," he said. "Ther

Rapper Jay Z's upcoming studio album will go to a million users of Samsung smartphones three days before its official release in a promotional deal, but the distribution is unlikely to count toward official sales figures, an industry expert said on Monday. Jay Z, 43, announced on Sunday in a three-minute television commercial during the telecast of basketball's NBA Finals that his latest album "Magna Carter Holy Grail" will be released on July 4 exclusively to 1 million users of Samsung smartphones who had downloaded a special app. That is three days before its public release.   On Monday, the rapper said the record was "platinum," posting on Twitter, "If 1 Million records gets SOLD and billboard (magazine) doesn't report it, did it happen? Ha...Platinum!!!" For official counting purposes the answer is "no," said David Bakula, an analyst for Nielsen Entertainment, whose Nielsen SoundScan figures are used to rank Billboard's w

British folk band Mumford & Sons' bassist Ted Dwane posted a message on Monday saying he was recovering after brain surgery to remove a blood clot. _0"> Dwane posted a picture of himself with a shaved head on the band's official website with the caption, "Bear with a sore head! Thanks so much for all the well wishing, it seems to be working! I'm home." The Grammy-winning London band was forced to cancel the final three U.S. dates of its "Summer Stampede" tour last week after doctors discovered a clot on the surface of Dwane's brain, which required immediate surgery. Hawaiian folk musician Jack Johnson filled Mumford & Sons' headline slot on Saturday at the Bonnaroo music festival in Manchester, Tennessee. The four-member band, which formed in 2007, also includes Marcus Mumford, Winston Marshall and Ben Lovett. They won Album of the Year for "Babel" at the Grammy Awards in February. (Reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy; Ed