It’s cold. Like, really f**king cold. And that just means everything is that bit more difficult.

When you’re already dreading having to get up in the morning to gingerly step into your car and set off for work, you have to get up even earlier just to get your car ready.

But a simple hack could help stop your windscreen from freezing overnight as the UK is set to drop below -10C in some places.

National Severe Weather Warnings for snow and ice are currently in place for the week with today (7 January) set to bring a drop to -3C in some areas.

And while that might be sending a chill up your spine, it’s going to get worse.

It’s the last thing you want to do on a cold morning. (Getty Stock)

Met Office Deputy Chief Forecaster, Chris Almond, said: “Thursday will see another cold night, with potentially the lowest temperatures of the Winter so far, -15°C or so is possible in locations with lying snow in Scotland or northern England.”

So, you’re probably going to be wanting to spend as little time as possible stood in the cold trying to hurry along the de-icing of your car.

While there are various hacks and tricks out there to speed it up, the viral one of using a bag of hot water is commonly warned against as a dangerous practice.

Instead, it’s said that a simple old towel could just be the knack.

Over on Reddit, users shared the processes they use as plenty agreed on the trick that can be done the night before.

All you have to do is cover up the windshield with a towel, as one said it’s the ‘best’ way to go about it.

They added: “If it gets really cold you can even ‘dry’ it by smashing the frozen towel so that all the ice cracks and falls off.”

Apparently a towel can be a big help. (Getty Stock)

The AA also says on its advice for drivers in the winter: “Putting a towel on your windscreen while you’re not using your car could be a good way to stop it from frosting up.”

However, it does add that it won’t necessarily work too well below about -10C ‘and it may not completely stop your windscreen from frosting over’.

But hey, any little help in speeding up the defrosting process in the morning, right?

The insurance company also adds: “The quickest way to defrost your windscreen is to turn on the engine, the car heaters and the air-con. You can then stay with your car while it’s heating up and use a brush or de-icer to manually remove frost from the outside of the windscreen.”

Stay warm out there, lads!

Brits have been warned to expect ‘longer airport queues’ as a result of a brand new travel system being brought in across most of Europe.

The update comes as UK passport holders have been told to prepare for new European visa rules that apply to them now that the UK is no longer a part of the European Union.

Those who don’t abide by the new rules, known as an ETIAS visa waiver, could end up being banned from 29 countries across the EU.

A consequence of Brexit, the UK is a ‘third country’ in the eyes of the EU now, meaning those with UK passports have to follow rules and regulations they were exempt from before the 2016 referendum vote.

What travel rules are coming in across Europe?

The warning over longer queues has been issued in relation to the Entry/Exit System, which is known as the EES.

A long-planned travel security system, the EES will subject UK passport holders and everyone else without an EU member state passport to biometric tests when entering the EU.

There is freedom of movement in 29 countries across the EU due to something known as the Schengen Area; a common agreement between the countries to have a soft border when it comes to migration and holidays.

It means that if you have a passport from the following countries, you can keep on travelling to any of them as you already do: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.

The EES will see your face and fingerprints scanned (Getty Stock Images)

The UK had been on this list but because of Brexit, the EES means those with a UK passport will need to follow the new rules to get in to any of the 29 states.

As a result, new biometric scans mean an end to passport stamps with your time in the EU and Schengen Area tracked online. It means that if you break rules on spending more than 90 days within an 180-day period in the EU, the system will automatically flag you as breaking the terms of the travel agreement. One consequence of this is potentially being banned from the EU for a set period of time.

‘Longer queues’ warning explained

The EES has been delayed numerous times already due to member states not being ready for the new era of border control.

It had meant to go live on 10 November, 2024, but ongoing problems meant it was pushed back for what was a third time.

Part of the reason for this? A mobile app – dubbed ‘QuickBorder’ – that will be used by Brits to verify their ability to travel and enter the Schengen Area. It simply hadn’t been ready for the end of 2024.

Now, the companies working with the EU’s border agency Frontex have revealed the app is closing in on completion after trials in the Netherlands.

A mobile app will be used to help speed up the process (Getty Stock Images)

Security company Inverid has worked with Frontex as well as iProov, one of the world’s leading companies in biometric face verification, to test the system ahead of lunch. The tests were dubbed ‘very encouraging’, Inverid said.

But speaking about the app, Frontex Deputy Executive Director Uku Särekanno said longer queues are ‘highly likely’ due to the extra data that is needed to be collected by every single person travelling through.

We’re talking about the biometric scans on faces and fingers as well as information about individual travel plans.

He said: “There is some deficiency that needs to be addressed and this is how to make this journey for the travellers as pleasant as possible, keeping in mind that it’s highly likely that there would be longer queues because people need to enrol with all this information at first place, when to enter, and how to make it simpler.”

The EES will go live in 2025 (Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

Do I have to use the app under the new travel rules?

The app isn’t mandatory, so says Särekanno, with passengers and even countries under no obligation to sign up.

But is expected to be widely used to stop huge queues with non EU passport holders, with passport and ID checks done in advance via the app.

Speaking in the UK Parliament in October, John Keefe, chief corporate and public affairs officer of Eurotunnel parent Getlink, said the app and system will work smoother once enrolled, with the biggest issues being the enrolment period.

And given that all of the UK will have to enrol given its a new system, delays could be lengthy even if you’ve enrolled as others may be heading to the airport for the first time since the EES goes live. Whenever that is, anyway, given no date is set in stone after the last postponement. All we know is that 2025 is on the cards.

At least 10 people have been killed in New Orleans after a vehicle drove into a New Year’s Eve crowd at approximately 3am local time.

Police have said they are facing a mass casualty incident after a car allegedly drove into a group of people on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter.

It is likely that the area was filled with locals and tourists celebrating the new year when the incident occurred.

It is believed that at least 10 have been killed in the incident (CBS News)

In a statement online, the City of New Orleans said: “The 8th District is currently working a mass casualty incident involving a vehicle that drove into a large crowd on Canal and Bourbon Street.

“Public safety partners are responding on scene. Updates will follow as they are received.”

Meanwhile, a New Orleans Police Department spokesperson told CBS News that ‘initial reports show a car may have plowed into a group of people. Injuries are unknown but there are reported fatalities’.

Speaking to CBS News, witnesses have claimed that a truck ploughed into a crowd before the driver left the vehicle with a weapon.

Gunfire was then reported to have been heard from the scene.

Governor Jeff Landry

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A horrific act of violence took place on Bourbon Street earlier this morning. Please join Sharon and I in praying for all the victims and first responders on scene. I urge all near the scene to avoid the area.

6:47 AM · Jan 1, 2025

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Jim and Nicole Mowrer – who were visiting New Orleans – said they saw a truck crash through a barricade. They told the outlet: “We were pretty, pretty close to where it started.

“Once it was past us, we did hear gunfire, saw police running that direction.

“Once the gunfire stopped, we stayed in the alcove until the gunfire stopped, came out into the street, and came across a lot of – several people who had been hit, [we] wanted to see what we could do to help.”

Louisiana governor Jeff Landry has also spoken about the incident, writing on X: “A horrific act of violence took place on Bourbon Street earlier this morning.

“Please join Sharon and I in praying for all the victims and first responders on scene.

“I urge all near the scene to avoid the area.”

Bourbon Street is likely to have been busy with tourists and locals (AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)

It is believed that at least 10 people have died in the incident, but the total number of fatalities is currently unknown. Meanwhile, at least 30 have been injured.

Videos circulating on social media appear to see multiple victims being treated for their injuries on the ground, meanwhile, others have been transported to five local hospitals – University Medical Center, Touro Hospital, East Jefferson General Hospital, Ochsner Medical Center Jefferson Campus and Ochsner Baptist Campus.

Authorities are now warning people to stay away from the area while investigations are carried out.

LADbible Group has reached out to New Orleans Police Department for comment.

The moment a woman discovered her home had burned down in the Los Angeles wildfires was captured in a heartbreaking clip.

Ongoing devastation in the Californian county has saw the destruction of more than 12,000 structures and the death of at least 24 people.

The largest fire, burning for nearly a week, is the Palisades and has burnt through over 23,000 acres and is just 14 percent contained. There are currently two other fires burning in the area with forecasted winds causing fear they could spread again.

Maura is one of the thousands of people to have lost their house in the Palisades fire as she said her family had moved in just two days before.

The fires have caused mass destruction (Apu Gomes/Getty Images)

Speaking to Katy Tur of MSNBC in a viral TikTok clip, the teary mum said had just got ‘everything perfectly placed’ after working for it to be the most she’s ‘ever been [able] to do [to] a house’ in her life.

“I travelled all over the world, gathering the most beautiful handmade ancient art,” she said, heartbroken.

“I had just, two days before this happened, finished decorating it with every single thing.”

Explaining it was the first time she was seeing the damage, Maura added the family ‘had no idea’ they would be faced by this.

In another clip, the teary-eyed woman said the experience was one that would ‘make her more human’.

“This is something that makes us bigger humans,” she added, saying she will be teaching her two young kids the loss is a ‘potent’ thing rather than a ‘sad’ thing.

Neighbourhoods have been wiped out. (JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images)

As residents across LA lose their homes, many major stars are among those devastated.

Paris Hilton recently returned to the rubbles where her house once stood after watching it burn down ‘live on TV’. And a TV host who lost her home claimed a medium ‘predicted’ the destruction months before.

While still burning, the wildfires are already one of the most destructive in LA’s history in terms of how many buildings have been destroyed.

And while homes are wiped out, tens of thousands are also without power.

It cannot yet be predicted just when the fires will finally go out, with the city now bracing for a possible spread over the next few days.

The strongest Santa Ana winds are expected tomorrow (14 January) with a red flag warning in place, indicating a high level of fire danger.

What we know so far about the LA wildfires

2 January

The first warning

The US’ National Weather Service issued a warning of potential strong Santa Ana winds and extreme fire conditions five days before the first wildfire broke out.

In the following days, a Fire Weather Watch warning was issued, as well as state and local officials giving warnings to the Los Angeles area.

7 January

The first fire ignites

The Palisade’s Fire ignites, triggering an emergency call to be sent to LA residents advising people near the fire to get set for ‘a potential evacuation’.

A fire in in Mandeville Canyon, Los Angeles ( Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Later that day, however, the City of Santa Monica issued an Evacuation Order for all areas of the city north of San Vicente: “Evacuation Order: Immediate threat to life. This is a lawful order to LEAVE NOW.”

Two more wildfires begin

Just hours after the first wildfire ignites, the second – named the Eaton Fire – breaks out in the Altadena area of LA.

And following this, the Hurst Fire ignites in LA’s Sylmar area as the National Weather Service report gusts of 99mph. A new evacuation order goes out to those in the affected areas as the blazes rapidly spread, scorching and destroying thousands of acres that contain homes and businesses.

9 January

Prison inmates deployed to help fight fires

Hundreds of incarcerated men and women were deployed to help fight the growing wildfires, with the number of inmates at the frontline standing at 939, the BBC reports.

This practice isn’t uncommon in California, as it is one of 14 US states that uses inmates to help fight fires. Inmates aren’t forced to take part and do so on their own accord, with it being reported they are being paid between $5.80 and $10.24 per day.

However, inmates with certain convictions – such as arson and sexual offences – aren’t eligible to volunteer.

Properties destroyed by the Eaton Fire (David McNew/Getty Images)

10 January

Man arrested for arson

Three days on from the first fire igniting, the LAPD make an arrest after local residents claim that a man on a bike carrying a large blow torch had been trying to set bins and old Christmas trees on fire.

Authorities believe the Kenneth Fire was started intentionally, with the man believed to be responsible being held in custody.

Billion dollar energy company investigated over possible link to wildfires

Southern California Edison, a subsidiary of energy giant Edison International, admitted that its grid experienced a short circuit issue on 7th January, the evening the first fires broke out.

“On January 10, Southern California Edison (SCE) filed an Electric Safety Incident Report (ESIR) related to the Hurst Fire once SCE learned fire agencies are investigating whether SCE equipment was involved in the ignition, which is a triggering event for reporting,” Edison International said in a press release.

“SCE noted that the fire was reported at approximately 10:10pm on 7 January, and preliminary information reflects the Eagle Rock – Sylmar 220 kV circuit experienced a relay at 10:11pm. A downed powerline was discovered at a tower associated with the Eagle Rock – Sylmar 220 kV circuit. SCE does not know whether the damage observed occurred before or after the start of the fire.”

A home destroyed by the Palisades fire in Malibu, California (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

A-list celebrities forced out of their homes

A number of celebrities have been forced to evacuate their homes, many of which have been destroyed. This includes the likes of Paris Hilton, Miles Teller, Anna Faris, Billy Crystal and Eugene Levy.

13 January

40,000 acres of land destroyed

According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, more than 40,000 acres have been burned in the Eaton, Palisades, Kenneth and Hurst fires.

Homes and businesses are among the more than 12,000 structures that have been destroyedla fir

The death toll rises

Almost a week on from the first fire starting, 24 people have been confirmed by the LA County medical examiner to have died as a result of the blazes.

Officials also confirmed that at least another 23 people remain missing.