In the News: Mandela Released From Hospital; Will Smith & Jay-Z in Business; Egypt Can’t RT

South African Surgeon General Says ‘No Need to Panic’ About Mandela’s Condition

Former South African president, Nelson Mandela, was discharged from a Johannesburg hospital earlier today after a two-day stay, which sparked growing concern from people across the world.

There’s been a lot of speculation surrounding Mandela’s hospitalization; however, the Nelson Mandela Foundation attributes it to “routine tests.â€ They ask the public to respect the 92-year-old’s privacy.

During today’s news briefing, the country’s Surgeon General, Vejayn Ramlakan, assured everyone that the Nobel Peace Prize winner is “stable after recently developing an acute respiratory infection.â€

Jay-Z Partners with the Smiths to Produce ‘Annie’ Remake

Jay-Z signing Willow Smith to his Roc Nation label was just the beginning of his partnership with the Smith family. Now, the hip-hop mogul is teaming up with Will and Jada Smith to produce a remake of the 1982 film Annie, starring their 10-year-old starlet, Willow. The film, based on the Broadway musical, will be developed by Sony Pictures Entertainment.

Overbrook Entertainment, founded by partners Will Smith and James Lassiter, announced the joint production venture with Jay-Z on Wednesday, with the possibility of releasing other feature films. Overbrook has released an array of successful films such as The Karate Kid, The Pursuit of Happyness and Hitch.

Internet Down in Egypt

As fighting and protests continue on the streets of Cairo, the government is taking it to the tweets and larger social media platforms. Egyptian authorities have blocked Facebook and Twitter and residents are reporting larger Internet and SMS outages across the country.

U.S. Economy Shows 3.2% Growth

The gross domestic product rose at an annual rate of 3.2% last quarter (the final three months of 2010), according to the Commerce Department report released today.

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