BREAKING: Nigeria records 108 new COVID-19 cases, total now 981

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control has announced 108 new confirmed cases of coronavirus in the country.

This brings the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country to 981, The PUNCH reports.
“108 new cases of #COVID19 have been reported: 78 in Lagos, 14 in FCT, five in Ogun, four in Gombe, three in Borno, two in Akwa Ibom, one in Kwara, and one in Plateau.

Do you have a great idea? Here’s your chance, Join the StartUpper by Total Challenge today! Entry closes in 27 days…

Total Companies in Nigeria have launched the second edition of the StartUpper of the Year Challenge. The Challenge will see several young Nigerian entrepreneurs compete for cash prizes as well as professional coaching, international exposure and widespread publicity for their projects or businesses.

The StartUpper of the Year Challenge is intended to promote youth entrepreneurship and development and is open to young Nigerians aged 35 years and below who aspire to start their own businesses and build a brighter future.

Candidates have five weeks to submit their applications after which the best will be shortlisted. Fifteen (15) of the best submitted projects will be selected with the finalists published on the competition website. The finalists will be required to defend their projects before a jury which will select the best three. In addition to the three winners, a top female entrepreneur will be selected. Results will be announced during an awards ceremony.

The complete glossary of contest rules is available online at https://startupper-of-the-year-challenge.total.com/en/challenges/nigeria?lang=en

Participants will be assessed based on their innovative nature, social and community impact, feasibility and development potential by a jury comprised of experts from Total, specialists from incubators and accelerators, business leaders and local community stakeholders.

The 2018-2019 StartUpper of the Year by Total Challenge reaffirms Total’s commitment to capacity building in the countries where it operates, worldwide.

This year’s challenge will hold in nearly 40 countries in Africa and in 60 countries worldwide and is aimed at supporting and rewarding young entrepreneurs in any business sector who have a project or business that is less than two years old. Click for more information

How to Clean a Laptop

Cleaning your laptop can help extend its life, and yours too. Computer keyboards are breeding grounds for germs [source: Wall Street Journal]. In fact, the Center for Disease Control recommends routinely cleaning your computer keyboard and mouse, along with other frequently touched surfaces [source: CDC]. While you're cleaning the keyboard and mouse, take the opportunity to clean your laptop screen as well. Cleaning your screen will make it much easier and pleasanter to get your work done.

Here's how to clean your keyboard:

1. Turn off the laptop and disconnect the battery.
2. Open the laptop.
3. Turn the laptop upside down and gently tap it to get rid of any loose crumbs.
4. Spray some canned air on the keyboard. This will loosen some of the gunk that's stuck in between the keys.
5. Put the laptop on a flat surface and vacuum the keyboard with a small brush attachment.
6. Dampen some cotton swabs with rubbing alcohol, and wipe them over and in between the keys (if possible). Make sure the swabs are just damp, and not wet.
7. Apply some CyberClean to the keyboard, following the instructions on the package [source: Griffith]. You can purchase Cyberclean at your local office supply store [source: Office Depot].

Here's how to clean your LCD screen:

1. Spray your screen with canned air to remove any surface dust.
2. Make a solution of equal parts white vinegar and distilled water.
3. Spray the vinegar solution on a soft rag, and gently wipe the screen [source: Griffith].

You can keep your screen clean by periodically wiping it with a microfiber cloth designed specifically for computers. These cloths are available at computer and office supply stores. Always check your laptop's manual before using any cleaning products on your LCD screen [source: Heloise].

Don't forget to clean your external mouse, if you have one. This is the easiest part of your laptop to clean. Simply spray your rag with some of your vinegar solution and wipe off your mouse. Don't forget to turn your mouse over, and wipe down the bottom, as well [source: Griffith].

The best free antivirus 2017

1. Avira Free Antivirus

Fast, smart, effective, and well designed – Avira is the best free antivirus for Windows

Avira Free Antivirus took the top spot on our previous free antivirus roundup, and here it is again. 

Yes, AV-TEST's results show it to have a micron less protection than the likes of AVG, but it's the slickest, cleanest and least system intensive antivirus package going. It's almost as if the programmers sat down to determine exactly what users would want out of an antivirus package and somehow stumbled on the correct answer: something that isn't in your face every two seconds and doesn't slow your PC to a halt just by existing.

So hooray for Avira. It doesn't even install a host of other packages (including a secure browser, VPN and safesearch plugin) by default, although they're there if you want them.

It's not the glossiest package, and the install process is a bit pre-emptive, with Windows 10 repeatedly shouting at us to update Avira before it had even finished making its way onto our test machine, but we're inclined to blame Microsoft for the latter glitch. Overall, Avira Free Antivirus is brilliant, and is our pick for this year's best free antivirus software.

Download here: Avira Free Antivirus

2. AVG AntiVirus Free

Superb free antivirus with a super-clear interface, AVG is a great choice for your whole  family

10 steps you can take to secure a laptop

Travelling with a laptop can represent a significant security risk to your business.

This is because the data it contains is far more vulnerable when you are on the move than when you use a laptop in the relative safety of your office or home environment.

It doesn't have to be stolen; because it takes just seconds for a hacker to slip a USB stick into a laptop when it is unattended to install malicious software or steal data. Even relatively unsophisticated hackers can run programs like Mailpassview from a USB stick to steal your email account details and email password.

There are steps you can take to reduce the risk. Here are 10 simple things you can do to help keep your laptop secure when you are on the go.

1. Use a password

Ensure that your Windows account is protected with a password. The laptop should be configured so that the password has to be entered every time you turn the machine on or when it comes out of hibernation, sleep or screensaver mode.

An account password is an effective first line of defence, but only if you avoid choosing a commonly used - and therefore easily guessed - password. An analysis of passwords stolen from websites during recent security incidents reveals that the most common include "password", "123456", "abc123", "qwerty" and, bizarrely, "monkey".