1. Former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin will no longer be a contributor for Fox News. Palin was hired by the network three years ago when her political influence and popularity helped drive ratings for Fox. She signed on in 2010 for $1 million per year. Tension between Palin and the network was made public when Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes was quoted by AP saying, “I hired Sarah Palin because she was hot and got ratings.” (Read full story here.)

2. Egypt’s President Mohammed Morsi declared a state of emergency and a night curfew in the Egyptian provinces where an outbreak of violence has left more than 50 people dead. The state of emergency and curfew is said to be in affect for the next 30 days. The provinces affected are in the Suez Canal area, and the city of Port Said saw the most bloodshed with the deaths of 44 people Saturday. Morsi vowed to end the violence and will take action if the clashes continue. (Read full story here.)

3. A fire in a crowded Brazilian nightclub early Sunday morning killed more than 232 people. Witnesses said the only exit in the club was blocked by the panicked crowed and those who already died. Authorities believe the fire started when the band launched a firework. The club was located in Santa Maria. The Associated Press said that this was the deadliest fire in more than a decade.

4. The Walt Disney Company issued a statement Friday stating they hired J.J. Abrams to direct the next “Star Wars” film. J.J. Abrams is the Emmy-award-winning creator of the TV show “Lost,” and director of the 2009 “Star Trek” film. Disney recently purchased “Star Wars” rights from Lucasfilm for $4.06 billion. The movie is said to be released in 2015.

5. International Holocaust Remembrance Day took place Sunday. Survivors, politicians and religious leaders said prayers and urged the world to never forget what happened. Events took place at Auschwitz, a former Nazi death camp where Hitler’s forces killed more than 1.1 million people, mostly Jews, in Poland. Prayers were held at the camp throughout the day. Pope Benedict XVI also spoke at the Vatican, where he gave a warning that murderous racism must never happen again.

Contact Maura Zurick at [email protected].