The Briefing 05-17-13

1. Rapid pace of secularization and rise of Islam in Great Britain

Christianity declining 50pc faster than thought – as one in 10 under-25s is a Muslim, The Telegraph (John Bingham)

What Does the Census Tell Us about Religion in 2011? The Office for National Statistics

2. Another step forward in human cloning raises more ethical problems

Cloning Is Used to Create Embryonic Stem Cells, New York Times (Andrew Pollack)

Experiment Brings Human Cloning One Step Closer, Wall Street Journal (Gautam Naik)

Human embryonic stem cells are cloned, USA Today (Dan Vergano)

3. Dramatic moral change is possible: cultural shift on alcohol 

States Urged to Cut Limit on Alcohol for Drivers, New York Times (Matthew Wald)

Carrollton bus crash | Survivors deal with loss at 25th anniversary memorial, Courier Journal

4. Who knew that buccaneers had bookkeepers?

Germany Accuses Man of Being Somali Pirates’ Accountant, New York Times (Nicholas Kulish)