Latest news with #MattLong
BBC News
4 days ago
- Health
- BBC News
Family of Catfish singer donate ultrasound to Surrey hospital
The family of the singer in the band Catfish, who died from bowel cancer, have donated an ultrasound machine to the NHS trust which cared for him. Multi-award-winning guitarist, singer, and songwriter Matt Long passed away in October last year, just 18 months after being diagnosed with bowel memory of the 29-year-old, Matt's family has donated the machine to the Onslow Ward at the Royal Surrey NHS Foundation parents Fiona and Paul Long say they hope "this machine will make other people's cancer journeys a little easier". "Matt would have liked that," they mother told BBC Radio Surrey: "He was a very sweet natured guy, very kind, very loving."He became almost obsessed with the guitar from a very early age and took himself off to his room and learned everything off the radio."The decorated performer, who was part of the British blues-rock band Catfish, was diagnosed with bowel cancer in spring then spread to his liver and stomach lining, and after exhausting all available treatment on the NHS, Matt's loved ones raised over £100,000 for further life-extending treatment. During his treatment Matt suffered from repeated ascites, the painful build-up of fluid in the lining of his fluid is located with an ultrasound scanner so that it can be had to make repeated visits to the hospital's radiology department for this procedure, which his parents hope will be made easier for other people with this said: "Sadly, the money couldn't save him, but it does mean we have funds available to provide this piece of equipment to Onslow Ward."We hope that having this available on the ward will save future cancer patients from having to wait for a slot in radiology for ascites scans, allowing these to be done at their bedside."A number of the trust's oncology nurses are currently undergoing training to use the ultrasound Etherington, associate director of nursing for oncology, said: "We are incredibly grateful to Matt's family for their generous donation, which will enable faster symptom relief and significantly improve patients' quality of life."In another tribute to Matt, his bandmates have finished and recorded demos that were found on his computer and mobile phone."Matt's final music should be heard," said Paul.A new scholarship has also been created in his name at ACM Music College Guildford, where he studied, for a blues or blue-influenced guitarist.
CBC
09-07-2025
- Automotive
- CBC
E-bike battery fires: Some tips to help buyers avoid getting burned
Social Sharing With Toronto's fire department sounding the alarm about lithium-ion battery fires, the owners of two London-area e-bike shops say a bit of consumer education goes a long way. From 2022 to 2024, the number of fires linked to the rechargeable batteries in Toronto jumped 162 per cent, from 29 to 76. Many of those fires are linked to e-bikes powered by lithium-ion batteries, though the batteries also power scooters and other devices. Matt Long, who's been selling battery-powered bikes at his store E-Ride London for 15 years, said bikes bought online often don't have the same safety certifications as bikes purchased at a shop. "The biggest thing is buying the cheaper bikes," he said. "They're cheaper for a reason. They're cheaping out on unstable lithium-ion battery cells." Long said buyers should be looking for "UL" certification on bikes they buy, which stands for Universal Laboratories and indicates a safety standard recognized in the U.S. and Canada. Long said bikes at his shop are made by Canadian companies, such as Taubik, Velec and Envo, which all have UL certification. Long said UL 2849 certification indicates that the bike's battery and electrical system have been tested. Other UL certifications are limited to the battery alone. What to know about risks around lithium-ion batteries as reports rise in battery-related fires 2 days ago Duration 2:22 While he can't comment on every bike available on the market, Long said he would view with some suspicion any e-bike that's only available direct-to-consumer through an online vendor. He also recommends buyers be leery of any e-bike with a price tag in the $1,000 range or less. "If you buy from a store, you get some support and quality batteries, and you can speak to a human if you have a problem," he said. "Most of the better companies are dealer-based and they don't ship to the customer." Long said he'd like to see tougher regulations on bikes that are imported for sale in Canada. Joe Haskett owns Junior's e-Bikes in St. Thomas, a store that sells e-bikes and mobility scooters powered by rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. He agrees that cheaper, imported e-bikes and scooters are part of the battery fire problem, and says bike owners need to read and follow instructions about how to safely charge and store their battery. "There should be no problem if they properly follow the guidelines about how to maintain a battery," he said. Haskett said safety tips include never charging a battery that's damaged or hot from recent use, and batteries should be unplugged once charging is complete. Haskett's store also sells special fire-proof blankets to wrap batteries when they're not in use. He said this is helpful in cases where there isn't a garage or balcony to store the bike away from flammable material such as carpets and furniture. London fire department gets special gear London Deputy Fire Chief Matt Hepditch said London firefighters have responded to lithium-ion battery fires, but not on the same scale as what's happening in Toronto. "The issues that we see are perhaps people that are buying after-market batteries and not the batteries built by the actual manufacturer," said Hepditch. It's important that batteries are not modified and are the correct batteries for the bike being used, he said. He said lithium-ion batteries can go into a dangerous state called "thermal runaway." This happens when the battery's cells heat up and transfer that heat to adjacent cells, one after the other, until the entire battery bursts into flames. When this happens, Hepditch said the resulting fire can be difficult to extinguish. "The fire just grows in intensity and it's not going out until the power source is drained," he said. "It's a very intense fire and it can spread very quickly." London's fire department is testing special equipment to deal with battery fires, including sand-filled containers used to hold batteries that become overheated. "I also know that the battery industry is making improvements to make them safer, they're working on the issue," he said.
Business Mayor
15-05-2025
- Business
- Business Mayor
Standard Chartered Bank Signs Partnership With Digital Asset Broker FalconX
Digital asset broker FalconX has announced a strategic partnership with British multinational bank Standard Chartered to enhance services for institutional clients. In the first phase of the partnership, Standard Chartered will offer a range of banking and foreign exchange (FX) services to FalconX, helping to improve the platform's ability to handle cross-border payments. Over time, this partnership will expand into other offerings and mutual opportunities, the company stated. By integrating Standard Chartered's banking infrastructure, FalconX will now have access to more currency pairs, making cross-border transactions faster and more reliable for clients. 'We are pleased to partner with Standard Chartered, one of the most forward-thinking global banks in digital asset adoption' said Matt Long, General Manager for APAC & Middle East at FalconX. 'At FalconX, we work with some of the world's largest institutions in the digital asset space, and this partnership will allow us to provide even better banking and FX solutions to clients who need to operate in the crypto world.' The partnership comes soon after recent comments from Geoffrey Kendrick, Head of Digital Assets Research at Standard Chartered, who apologized for his earlier Bitcoin price target of $120,000. Kendrick now believes Bitcoin could surpass his initial forecast due to the growing institutional demand. He highlighted $5.3 billion in recent inflows to U.S. Bitcoin ETFs, a sign of increasing interest from large investors. Kendrick now expects Bitcoin to reach up to $200,000 by the end of the year. 'Our partnership with FalconX shows our commitment to advancing the digital asset ecosystem,' said Luke Boland, Head of Fintech at Standard Chartered. 'We're proud to provide the banking infrastructure that helps firms like FalconX offer world-class trading and financing solutions to institutional clients.'
The Star
14-05-2025
- Business
- The Star
Crypto platform FalconX partners with StanChart
FalconX will leverage Standard Chartered's banking and foreign exchange services to support its institutional clients. — Reuters HONG KONG: Crypto prime broker FalconX and global bank Standard Chartered say they have formed a strategic partnership to serve institutional crypto investors. The partnership marks FalconX's first collaboration with a global traditional bank and suggests growing institutional demand for digital assets through traditional finance channels. FalconX will leverage Standard Chartered's banking and foreign exchange services – including its access to a wide range of currencies – to support its institutional clients, said Matt Long, FalconX's general manager of Asia Pacific & Middle East. 'Our clients will be able to engage more efficiently in fiat currencies settlements, which means a lot faster settlement, better capital efficiency and overall reduced operational risk,' he told Reuters. The California-based crypto-focused prime-brokerage services firm said its clients include some of the world's largest asset managers, sovereign wealth funds, hedge funds and family offices. Standard Chartered pointed to greater digital asset adoption by institutional clients as the driver for the partnership. Luke Boland, Asia head of financial technology at Standard Chartered, said the bank's collaboration with FalconX would begin in Singapore and later expand to other countries in Asia, the Middle East and the United States. The London-headquartered multinational bank has been expanding its digital asset business. Last year, the bank started a digital asset custody service in the United Arab Emirates. — Reuters
Finextra
14-05-2025
- Business
- Finextra
Standard Chartered to provide full suite of banking services to FalconX
FalconX, the leading institutional digital asset prime broker, today announces a strategic partnership with Standard Chartered, a leading international cross-border banking group. 0 In the first phase of the partnership, Standard Chartered will provide a comprehensive suite of banking services to FalconX globally, further strengthening the platform's offerings for institutional clients. The engagement will expand to include a broader range of offerings and mutual opportunities. Through this collaboration, FalconX will initially integrate Standard Chartered's banking infrastructure and access to an extensive range of currency pairs, enhancing the speed, scale, and reliability of cross-border settlement for its institutional client base. This continues FalconX's efforts to bridge the gap between traditional finance and digital assets with enterprise-grade infrastructure. Matt Long, General Manager, APAC & Middle East at FalconX, commented: 'We are pleased to partner with Standard Chartered, one of the most forward-thinking global banks in digital asset adoption. At FalconX, we support trading and financing for some of the world's largest institutions in digital asset markets, and this relationship strengthens our ability to deliver robust banking and FX solutions to clients who rely on us to operate in crypto markets.' As FalconX continues to grow its global footprint, the partnership is expected to expand beyond banking into additional products and services tailored to the evolving needs of FalconX's and Standard Chartered's institutional clients — including asset managers, hedge funds, token issuers, and payment platforms. Luke Boland, Head of Fintech, ASEAN, South Asia & GCNA at Standard Chartered, added: 'Our collaboration with FalconX underscores our commitment to advancing the digital asset ecosystem. As institutional demand for digital assets continues to grow, we're proud to provide the banking infrastructure that enables firms like FalconX to deliver world-class trading and financing solutions to institutional clients.'
