Nisha Joshi
BBC broadcast journalist

That's the end of our updates for today - thanks for joining us.

We've been following a North East Ambulance Service crew on a shift and we'll leave you with this striking picture taken at South Tyneside District Hospital as they finished handing over a patient. 

We might be done but you can still find the latest news online, on BBC Tees, on BBC Newcastle and on Look North.

We'll be back with more news, sport, weather and travel from 08:00 tomorrow.

In the meantime, if you want to get in touch you can contact us on Twitter, external, Facebook, external, or via email.

Today we're following a North East Ambulance service crew on their day shift.

They've been emailing us updates throughout the day. 

Within the space of five minutes we received these three updates, showing how quickly things change for paramedics :

• Break's over and we're back out on the road, travelling to a patient with kidney problems
• On our way to patient we've been diverted, now travelling on lights and sirens to patient with heart problems
• And we're diverted again, this time to someone with breathing difficulties

The crew told us: 

Here's some more from the North East Ambulance Service crew we're following today:

A BBC investigation has found that nationally ambulance services are struggling to reach seriously ill and injured patients quickly enough.

Teaching assistants in County Durham have called off strikes following talks, the county council has confirmed.

Both Unison and ATL members have agreed to suspend their industrial action.

Councillors voted in May to dismiss the classroom assistants and re-employ them on term-time contracts from January 2017, with one year's compensation.

Durham County Council maintains that action needs to be taken to reduce the risk of other staff making claims for equal pay.

They've agreed to undertake a review of teaching assistants' roles, function and job description and no action over pay will be taken until that's completed by September next year.

Image source, Google

After a freezing couple of nights, tonight will be considerably milder and frost-free.

An Indian orphan taught hairdressing skills by a County Durham woman has travelled to the UK now he is fully qualified in his job. 

Janet Maitland travelled to India in 2010 to train youngsters who had lost their parents to become hairdressers. 

One of her trainees, a boy called Molen, is now a fully qualified and has visited Janet for the first time.

Newcastle boss Dean Richards says the amount of academy talent in the first team is proof players have chance to impress.

The Sun is running an article today claiming Sunderland chairman Ellis Short is 'desperate' to sell the club., external

Image source, The Sun

It says he has enlisted the services of American company Inner Circle Sports to help find a buyer.

It also claims that Mr Short has put a price tag of £170m on the club.

BBC Newcastle's Sunderland commentator Nick Barnes said: 

Image source, Getty Images

Fergus Hewison
BBC Newcastle political reporter

A further planned strike by teaching assistants in County Durham has been called off, BBC Newcastle understands. 

Members of the Unison and ATL unions had planned to take industrial action tomorrow over proposals to reduce their pay by up to 23% in some cases.

But after talks between the two sides, the strike now won't go ahead and negotiations will continue. 

Durham County Council will also suspend the dismissal and re-engagement notices issued to teaching assistants who had not accepted new terms and conditions.

Ex-Middlesbrough captain and manager Gareth Southgate has been named England manager.

Did you know he opened the BBC Tees studios in 2007?

North-east of England councils tackle what they say is a higher than average rate of vacant properties.

North East firefighters say they are increasingly concerned about the number of attacks on crews.

In the last six weeks there have been 11 attacks on firefighters, the Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service says.

The latest incident happened on Friday night in Newcastle when a crew came under attack from youths throwing missiles at their vehicle.

The service says they are working with police and looking at CCTV footage of the incidents.

Today we're following a shift of a North East Ambulance Service crew and here's their latest update:

But it gets busy again for the crew as they receive red calls, which are for patients in life-threatening situations and require a response within eight minutes.

The crew added: 

Newgate Street in Newcastle city centre has been closed due to unsafe scaffolding at the redevelopment of the former Newgate Shopping Centre, Newcastle City Council says.

Image source, Google

A council spokesman said: "In the interest of public safety, the city council has agreed to an emergency road closure on Newgate Street so that the scaffold can be safely removed. 

"We are sorry for the inconvenience caused to traffic, pedestrians and local businesses but we expect the majority of work to be completed within 24 hours." 

Nisha Joshi
BBC broadcast journalist

When you look at the statistics, it seems Newcastle United should have beaten Hull in their EFL Cup quarter-final tie last night - but they lost on penalties after the match went to extra time.

As this graphic shows, Newcastle beat Hull in most areas, but crucially not on goals.

They had two thirds of possession, 32 shots to Hull's 12 and even 11 men to Hull's 10 for the last half hour.

Newcastle United boss Rafa Benitez said: "It's something you learn with experience. 

"Maybe we will do a little better the next time we have this many chances."

Today we're following a North East Ambulance Service crew on their day shift.

One of the jobs the paramedics have to do is fill in the electronic patient record system.

The crew explained how it worked:

Ex-darts world champion Eric Bristow has apologised for suggesting football sex abuse victims are not "proper men".

It comes after he lost his role at Sky Sports and Newcastle United said they had dropped him from an event on 6 December and "will not work with him in the future".

In a statement issued later today,, external Bristow described himself as a "bull in a China shop" and said he now "appreciated my wording was wrong and offended many people".

"It makes me furious to think that an abuser can get away with it for so long, and to so many, when they should always be looking over their shoulder in fear, waiting to be confronted," he said.

Image source, Getty Images

BBC Look North's Sharon Barbour is reporting live from the North East Ambulance Service control room:

Sharon Barbour
BBC Look North

The North East Ambulance Service's control room says 999 calls in the last few hours have included a cardiac arrest, a road traffic collision and a broken toenail!

Former footballer Derek Bell has told BBC 5 live that he went to his abuser’s house with a 12 inch knife.