Welcome to your daily lunchtime look at the news in the North East.
Every morning and lunchtime we'll bring you some of the latest news from the North East, from breaking news and stories to NUFC updates and the latest on the cost of living crisis.
'People are afraid': Heaton Muslims urged to report hate crime after 'Islamophobic attack' outside mosque
A community is being urged to unite against hatred after an alleged hate attack outside their local mosque.
Police were called to the Heaton Mosque and Islamic Centre, in Heaton, Newcastle, last week after families reported being abused by a man as they left the building. It was reported the man had also been banging on the doors of the mosque and chased someone down the street.
Yellow weather warning for wind issued by Met Office with gusts of up to 70mph in North East
Weather experts have issued a yellow warning for wind, with gusts of up to 70mph expected to hit the North East.
The warning from the Met Office runs from 6am to 6pm on Friday, February 17, with strong winds developing through the day, which may bring disruption to travel. All North East areas are covered by the alert, including County Durham, Gateshead, Newcastle, North Tyneside, Northumberland, South Tyneside and Sunderland.
Angel of the North celebrates 25th anniversary with singing schoolchildren and cardboard cake
The Angel of the North has celebrated its 25th birthday in style, with songs from schoolchildren and a huge cardboard cake laid at its feet.
Pupils from Harlow Green Primary School sang Happy Birthday to the statue, which is the most-viewed piece of public modern art in the UK, and shared Angel inspired creative writing pieces, and were later joined by children from St Aidan's Primary School who worked with a local artist to create a birthday party for the angel. These are part of a programme of events celebrating 25 years of Sir Antony Gormley's artwork, which was erected on February 15 1998.
PGMOL confirms who David Coote supports after Newcastle United concern - and it's not Manchester United
An image purporting to show Carabao Cup final referee David Coote as a Manchester United fan is fake, Chronicle Live understands. The Premier League official will take charge of his first Wembley final this month after his appointment sparked concern among the Newcastle United fan base.
The fake image, shared widely on social media in recent days, shows Coote's alleged Facebook page with a generic photo of Old Trafford as his cover photo. A host of Newcastle fans took to Twitter to bemoan the Professional Game Match Officials Limited's (PGMOL) decision to appoint Coote as referee once the image had gone viral.
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