PR Newswire's Business Technology Round-up, 14 December 2012

LONDON, December 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

Carlos Slim given prestigious award, entrepreneurs launch Instapocalypse and AVG announce Yahoo partnership

International telecoms magnate and America Movil CEO Carlos Slim has been granted the prestigious Eisenhower Global Leadership Award this week, recognising his contribution to the business world and extensive philanthropic activities. 

Mr. Slim, who was also recently named as the richest man in the world for the past two years in a row, accepted the award at a high-profile event in Virginia, hosted by popular former TV host Larry King. Judges were impressed by the CEO's incredible contribution to business leadership. They noted his success in growing a small South American company into one of the world's most valuable groups, operating in 30 different countries around the world. 

In addition to his business activities, Mr. Slim was praised for his contributions to a number of charitable causes, especially in the field of promoting democracy and political freedom throughout South America. One industry leader described the entrepreneur as a "role model for how to do it right. He has truly made a positive and enduring impact and has achieved it on a global scale."

Two innovative entrepreneurs have launched the Instapocalypse website this week, in an attempt to capitalise on the social buzz surrounding the prophesied Mayan apocalypse. 

The new site aggregates pictures taken via Instagram using the "Apocalypse" hashtag on Twitter, before displaying the results on their brand new website. The concept was made into a reality thanks to the partnership between serial website designer Savannah Peterson and programmer James Dullaghan, who came together over their shared interest of highlighting the humorous side of the apocalyptic predictions. Dullaghan discussed his inspiration for the site in an interview this week, explaining: "I love that people get scared of a date on the calendar, but forget the fact they are flying through the air on a giant rock at 67,000 miles per hour."

Online security experts AVG has announced a new partnership with tech giants Yahoo, creating a safe search bar for web users. 

The new safe search bar allows users to browse the web whilst protecting themselves from dangerous viruses. Following the partnership, those who use Yahoo's built-in search engine will benefit from AVG's "LinkScanner" technology, which continually scans search results, blocking sites that are potentially hosting malicious software. According to Yahoo VP Shashi Seth, it sees "this new relationship as a strategic way for us to enrich and broaden our search footprint moving forward."

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