Wednesday afternoon's news in under 5 minutes.

We’ve rounded up the biggest news stories from Australia and the world – so you don’t have to go searching.

1. Jacqui Lambie believes “halal money” may be funding the Islamic State.

Jacqui Lambie has suggested that fees for halal certification might be funding militants in Iraq and Syria, The Sydney Morning Herald reports.

The Tasmanian senator has threatened to introduce a private senator’s bill which requires halal certifiers to disclose how they spend their fees.

Lambie said she has received hundreds of emails from concerned residents, which motivated her to look into the issue.

According to The Sydney Morning Herald, Lambie commissioned the parliamentary library to examine the current legislation and they found that halal certifiers are not currently required to disclose any information about their fees and are not formally audited.

The lack of current legal obligations for halal certifiers, “could allow financing of terrorists and Australia’s enemies through halal money,” Lambie said.

2. A skywriting protest of Manus Island has taken off on a crowd-funding website.

The campaign initially aimed to raise funds to write “Shut Down Manus Island” in the sky above a secret location in Sydney on February 17.

However, following the success of a crowd-funding campaign on Pozible, the organisers are now seeking to raise enough money to pay for skywriting in multiple cities in Australia.

The skywriting is intended to mark the anniversary of the death of asylum seeker Reza Berati at the detention centre on Manus Island, and to protest the current conditions in which asylum seekers are living in the centre.

The project was started by Gabrielle de Vietri, Asha Bee Abraham and Will Foster who describe themselves as “three individuals, unaligned with any groups, organisations or political parties.”

The organisers are asking those in support to spread images of the skywriting in the hope the message will prompt politicians to act on the issue.

3. Victoria is set to have its first female governor.

By ABC NEWS

Long-serving Family Court judge Linda Dessau, has been announced as Victoria’s 29th Governor, becoming the first woman to hold the position.

She will take over from Alex Chernov, whose term expires at the end of June.

Ms Dessau, who served as a family court judge from 1995 to 2013, spearheaded national projects tackling family violence and child abuse.

She also served as an AFL commissioner.

Ms Dessau said she was honoured to take on the vice-regal role.

“With my background in the courts, it’s the community role [that] resonates with me,” she said.

“Particularly having spent all that time with people really at the coal face of the sorts of issues and problems that our community faces.”

She said she wanted to make Government House more accessible to the Victorian public.

“I completely respect the traditions and the ceremony that will surround so much of the role but, that said, I really do want Victorians to be able to relate to us in Government House,” Ms Dessau said.

Premier Daniel Andrews said Ms Dessau would be an “honest voice of change” for Victoria.

“From sporting and cultural icons that make our state liveable, to important family law that keeps women and children sage, Ms Dessau has helped shape Victoria for the better,” he said.

Mr Andrews also paid tribute to outgoing Govenor Chernov.

“On behalf of every Victoria, I thank Governor Chernov for his decent, honourable and determined services to the great institutions of our state,” he said.

This article originally appeared on the ABC and was republished here with full permission. 

4. Kayla Mueller may have been married to an ISIS soldier.

New details have emerged regarding the life of 26-year-old ISIS captive, Kayla Mueller, during her time as a prisoner.

ABC News has alleged that some officials believe Kayla was forced into marrying an ISIS commander.

Sightings of Kayla in the company of an ISIS leader, along with traces of her voices on phone calls, and the lack of ransom on Kayla, led officials to believe she was possibly married to the man who had “custody” over her.

“ISIS didn’t see her as a hostage or a bargaining chip,” a counter-terrorism official told ABC News.

Kayla was killed in a Jordanian airstrike earlier this week.

4. Jon Stewart is leaving the Daily Show

Comedy Central has revealed that Jon Stewart will be leaving The Daily Show after 14 years of being the host.

Stewart, 52, has led the US talk show since 1999, successfully mocking American politicians, celebs and media figures

Fellow talk show host Stephen Colbert also retired from his hosting spot on the Colbert Report in December last year.

The Daily Show has launched the careers of several other comedians, including Colbert, Steve Carell and John Oliver.

Thank you Jon. pic.twitter.com/yPdxjnkuLw

— Comedy Central (@ComedyCentral) February 10, 2015

5. Freya Newman to join the Greens party.

The woman behind the Frances Abbott scholarship scandal has been offered a spot in the Greens party.

Freya Newman rose to fame last year after leaking documents revealing Tony Abbott’s daughter received a $60,000 scholarship to study at the Whitehouse Institute of Design.

Ms Newman will now participate in a paid internship with Lee Rhiannon, news.com.au reports.

“Following an extensive application process involving over 160 applicants and two rounds of interviews we offered the position to Freya,” Ms Rhiannon said.

“Freya was an outstanding applicant and we are very much looking forward to having her on board.” 

6. Canadian cinemas are launching special movie screenings for people with autism.

A Canadian cinema company has found a worthy way to attract new audiences to theatres.

Cineplex Entertainment has proposed to start a special movie screening program for people with autism.

The movie theatre company has partnered with Autism Speaks Canada to provide screenings described as “sensory friendly,” for individuals on the autism spectrum, and their families.

According to CBC News, there will be increased light in the theatre and lower volume than regular screenings.

The first film will be The Spongebob Movie: Sponge out of water.

7. An Australian Rabbi steps down after mishandling of sex abuse claims.

By ABC NEWS

The director of the orthodox Jewish Yeshiva centre in Sydney has resigned after last week telling a royal commission hearing he did not know it was a crime for an adult to touch a child’s genitals.

Rabbi Yosef Feldman’s evidence at a Melbourne hearing of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse was widely criticised by Australia’s broader Jewish community.

In a statement, Rabbi Feldman apologised for the comments he made to the royal commission and said he would step down from all responsibilities as the director on the board of management at Yeshiva.

“I apologise to anyone in the Rabbinate, the Jewish community and the wider Australian community who may have been embarrassed or ashamed by my views, words, understandings, recordings or emails about child sexual abuse or any other matter,” he said.

“I have dedicated my life to doing whatever I can to protect and assist all people in need including those who have suffered from any form of abuse, especially children, and it pains me greatly that words that I have expressed have upset victims and their families.

“In the future I will be more careful with my words, so that they are only a source of pride to the Jewish and General community.

“I commit to undertake formal training and education on how to identify, handle and report abuse allegations.”

This article originally appeared on the ABC and was republished here with full permission.