Los Angeles  - Crime finally caught up with OJ Simpson Friday as the former American football star, controversially acquitted of the 1994 murder of his wife and her friend, was sentenced to between nine and 33 years in jail for his part in an armed robbery and kidnapping case in Las Vegas last year.

An ashen-faced Simpson, his hands in chains, looked stunned as Judge Jackie Glass of the Clark County District Court in Nevada read out the complicated sentence. Lawyers for the 61-year-old one-time American football star and actor, said in the live broadcast from the courtroom that they would appeal.

Washington  - A collection of 17 interest groups in the United States urged world leaders to speed up efforts to reach a new global deal on curbing emissions that cause global warming, in a letter Friday to government delegates meeting in Poland this week.

The group of environmental, science, health and religious organizations said the US was ready to lead the way towards an international agreement by the end of 2009, which would set more stringent caps on countries' polluting emissions.

"The American public is committed to action on climate change and clean energy as never before," the letter stated.

BRISBANE, Australia, Dec. 5  -- An Islamic school in Australia announced Friday that it has dropped its ban on singing the national anthem at assemblies.

The decision to ban the anthem at assemblies at the Australian International Islamic College had been made by the principal, who is leaving, school spokesman Keysar Trad told The Courier-Mail newspaper in Brisbane.

"I personally value the Australian national anthem and respect it and do sing it myself," Trad said.

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 5  -- The presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church says members of the newly formed conservative body "are no longer Episcopalians."

In her first public comments since a coalition of 700 parishes announced formation of a new North American church in a dispute over gays, the Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori predicted that the exodus had largely run its course.

"They are no longer Episcopalians," she told the Los Angeles Times. "They have made that very clear in their departures."

Leaders of the new Anglican Church in North America split after taking issue with what they view as the Episcopal Church's liberal policies on the role of gays in the church.

HARARE, Zimbabwe, Dec. 5  -- The Zimbabwean government has asked for British help in dealing with a cholera epidemic that has claimed hundreds of lives.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, often blamed by President Robert Mugabe for Zimbabwe's economic free fall, responded by promising at least $15 million in assistance, The Times of London reported.

At least 570 people have died of cholera and 13,000 have become infected in recent weeks. Some of the sick have crossed into South Africa seeking medical care, the newspaper said.

The disease, spread by ingestion of contaminated food or water, can be prevented by proper sanitation.

LONDON, Dec. 5  -- The International Energy Agency cut its projection for growth in worldwide oil consumption by 33 percent Friday.

The IEA had previously said oil consumption would grow about 1.5 million barrels a day from 2008-13. Friday, it scaled back the forecast to 1 million barrels a day through the same period, the Financial Times reported.

"For the first time since 1945 most (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries are expected to face a severe economic recession in 2009," the IEA said in a Medium-Term Oil Market Report. "By the same token, emerging economies are bound to slow down, even if managing to maintain positive growth rates."