Grimes And Elon Musk Tweak Baby’s Name To Include Roman Numerals

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Grimes And Elon Musk Tweak Baby’s Name To Include Roman Numerals

Grimes and Elon Musk have changed their baby’s name ― but it doesn’t make it any easier to figure out how to say it.

The Canadian singer-songwriter revealed the change in an Instagram comment on Sunday. She and SpaceX CEO Musk welcomed their first child together on May 4 and announced that they’d named him X Æ A-12 Musk.

However, the name raised questions as it did not comply with state naming guidelines; a spokesperson for the California Department of Health told HuffPost it would not be allowed. Characters outside of the 26 letters of the alphabet and numerals are not permitted.

A commenter on Grimes’ latest Instagram post asked if she’d changed the baby’s name because of California law. The singer then shared the new name, which swaps out the 12 with Roman numerals: X Æ A-Xii.

“Roman numerals. Looks better tbh,” she said in another comment, adding later that “one dash is allowed.”

It’s unclear if the new name would be accepted.

Grimes had explained the meaning behind the original name on Twitter:

As baffled fans guessed at how to say the baby’s name, it turned out that even the parents didn’t agree on how it should be pronounced.

During an appearance on “The Joe Rogan Experience” on May 7, the Tesla founder said it was pronounced “Just X, like the letter X. And then the ‘Æ’ is pronounced ‘ash.’”

He added: “And then A-12 is my contribution. The Archangel-12, the precursor to the SR-71, the coolest plane ever.”

However, Grimes, responding to an Instagram comment on the same day, had a different take on their child’s name: “It’s just X, like the letter X. Then A.I. Like how you said the letter A then I.”

Social media users continued to be baffled following the update to little X Æ A-Xii’s name:



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Storms and large waves forecast as winter takes hold

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Storms and large waves forecast as winter takes hold

Following a weekend of icy temperatures and damaging storms, some states are still feeling the chill while others have returned to slightly warmer conditions.

A trough and cold front crossing Western Australia is triggering areas of heavy rain and a few storms, with a deep low off the south coast generating large waves.

A Tasman Low is directing gusty rain and large waves to the NSW coast.

Fog blankets Melbourne – May 26, 2020. (9News)

Conditions are mostly clear elsewhere with sunny and mild weather forecast in Queensland and the the Northern Territory.

Here is a breakdown of what the weather is doing in your state or territory today.

Sydney is in for another day of low temperatures and showers with a maximum of 19C today.

The rain is expected to ease tomorrow with a small chance of rain on Thursday.

May 24, 2020 in Sydney, Australia.
Teenagers chain-surf at South Curl Curl ocean pool as a large southerly swell hits the Sydney coastline on May 24, 2020 in Sydney, Australia. (Getty)

Wet weather is forecast along the NSW coast including Wollongong, Newcastle, Port Macquarie and Coffs Harbour.

A hazardous surf warning remains in place for Coffs Coast, Macquarie Coast, Hunter Coast, Sydney Coast, Illawarra Coast and Batemans Coast

Surf and swell conditions are expected to be dangerous for coastal activities such as rock fishing, boating, and swimming.

May 23, 2020 in Sydney, Australia.
A surfer is seen riding a wave during a huge swell at Bronte Beach in Sydney, Saturday, May 23, 2020. (AAP)

Canberra is in for a cold night with temperatures expected to fall to 2C in the evening.

Conditions with otherwise be cloudy and cool in ACT with a maximum of 15C forecast for the remainder of the week in Canberra.

Queensland has mostly recovered from the weekends cold weather with mild and sunny conditions forecast around the state.

Brisbane is sunny today with a maximum of 24C with similar weather in most areas across Queensland.

Thargomindah looks to have the coldest weather today with a minimum of 2C and frost in the morning, although the day is likely to warm up with a maximum of 18C.

Melbourne is feeling the chill this morning with a minimum of 5C with heavy fog shrouding the city.

Conditions are expected to improve throughout the day with sun and a maximum of 18C forecast later today.

A number of areas including Seymour, Mt Hotham and Wangaratta are expected to wake up to frost with temperatures dipping below 0C.

The rest of the state is mostly sunny with cool to mild temperatures throughout the day.

There a mixed condition across WA today as the state recovers from the weekend’s violent storms.

Surfers are seen in action at Port Beach in Perth, Monday, after severe storms over the weekend. (AAP)

Possible showers are forecast in Perth, Geraldton and Bunbury with maximum temperatures between 17C and 20C in those areas.

Heavier rain will hit Albany and thunderstorms are forecast in Eucia and Broome.

Cars navigate through floodwater on Riverside Drive in Perth CBD which is partially closed due to storm flooding on Monday, May 25, 2020. (AAP)

Areas including the South Coastal and South East Coastal forecast districts and parts of the Great Southern and Central Wheat Belt are also likely to feel the cold coming from a westerly wind today as a cold front moves across the state.  

Conditions will be mostly cloudy, cool in the southeast of the state today and mostly sunny but cool in the central region.

Showers and cool-to-mild temperatures are forecast in the west while areas in the north are expected to receive a late shower today.

Adelaide will be cloudy with a minimum of 8C and a maximum of 17C.

Hobart will be sunny but cool today with a minimum of 3C and a maximum of 15C.

Similar conditions are forecast around the state with most areas expected to be sunny but cool today.

Possible showers are forecast in Burnie.

Sunny weather is forecast around the NT today with Darwin expected to reach 30C later in the day.

Katherine, Nhulunbuy, Borroloola and Tennant Creek are also in for a sunny day with maximum temperatures in the high 20s.

Alice Springs is forecast to experience some cloudy weather with cooler temperatures only expected to reach 18C today.

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Grimes And Elon Musk Tweak Baby’s Name To Include Roman Numerals

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Grimes And Elon Musk Tweak Baby’s Name To Include Roman Numerals

Grimes and Elon Musk have changed their baby’s name ― but it doesn’t make it any easier to figure out how to say it.

The Canadian singer-songwriter revealed the change in an Instagram comment on Sunday. She and SpaceX CEO Musk welcomed their first child together on May 4 and announced that they’d named him X Æ A-12 Musk.

However, the name raised questions as it did not comply with state naming guidelines; a spokesperson for the California Department of Health told HuffPost it would not be allowed. Characters outside of the 26 letters of the alphabet and numerals are not permitted.

A commenter on Grimes’ latest Instagram post asked if she’d changed the baby’s name because of California law. The singer then shared the new name, which swaps out the 12 with Roman numerals: X Æ A-Xii.

“Roman numerals. Looks better tbh,” she said in another comment, adding later that “one dash is allowed.”

It’s unclear if the new name would be accepted.

Grimes had explained the meaning behind the original name on Twitter:

As baffled fans guessed at how to say the baby’s name, it turned out that even the parents didn’t agree on how it should be pronounced.

During an appearance on “The Joe Rogan Experience” on May 7, the Tesla founder said it was pronounced “Just X, like the letter X. And then the ‘Æ’ is pronounced ‘ash.’”

He added: “And then A-12 is my contribution. The Archangel-12, the precursor to the SR-71, the coolest plane ever.”

However, Grimes, responding to an Instagram comment on the same day, had a different take on their child’s name: “It’s just X, like the letter X. Then A.I. Like how you said the letter A then I.”

Social media users continued to be baffled following the update to little X Æ A-Xii’s name:



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Coronavirus updates LIVE: Novavax human trials begin in Melbourne as global COVID-19 cases surpass 5.4 million. Australian death toll stands at 102

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Coronavirus updates LIVE: Novavax human trials begin in Melbourne as global COVID-19 cases surpass 5.4 million. Australian death toll stands at 102

“We’re really trying to get a level of confidence back in the industry,” he told ABC’s Radio National this morning.

Mr Butt said the support could keep apprentices in jobs, who have “absolutely” been losing their employment.

“Unfortunately they are seen as being dispensable for many people, yet they’re really the future of our industry.”

Yesterday, Housing Minister Michael Sukkar brushed off the industry’s request for a lifeline.

He said the government already had economic support in place, “[Of] which the construction industry is a massive beneficiary, particularly through JobKeeper and our support for apprentice wages,” he told AAP.

“We are continually monitoring the effect that COVID-19 is having on the economy, and I am in constant contact with key stakeholders and the states and territories to ensure new homes can still be built and tradies stay in jobs.”

Master Builders has pointed to economic modelling showing $13.2 billion in stimulus would result in $30.9 billion in gross domestic product while creating 105,500 construction jobs.

They claim it would also lead to $17.6 billion in construction across housing, renovations and commercial construction.

with AAP

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Twitter Users Mock Trump For Claiming He’s Getting Great COVID-19 Reviews

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Twitter Users Mock Trump For Claiming He’s Getting Great COVID-19 Reviews

Twitter users brutally mocked President Donald Trump on Memorial Day for simultaneously claiming he’s getting “great reviews” for the way he’s handled the coronavirus pandemic and griping he’s not getting enough credit.

The tweet came Monday afternoon as U.S. deaths related to COVID-19 neared the 100,000 mark. Not that the president thought that was worth mentioning.

Many Twitter users were shocked by what they were reading.

Some people pointed out that the Trump’s handling of the pandemic is more of a lesson plan on what not to do.

Others wondered where these “reviews” were actually published and wished they could post their own.

One guy pointed out that Trump seems to be the guy for whom “participant trophy” was invented.

Another suggested that bringing up the idea of “reviews” was just another example of the president’s disinformation tactics.

Finally, there was the woman who answered Trump’s claim of “great reviews” with a devastating takedown of her own.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article said that the tweets came after the COVID-19 death toll in the U.S. had passed 100,000. That had not yet been officially reported as of Monday evening.

A HuffPost Guide To Coronavirus

 



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Why didn’t Peru’s strict measures stop the coronavirus?

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Why didn’t Peru’s strict measures stop the coronavirus?

As of Monday, Peru had more than 119,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and 3,400 deaths — putting it second only to Brazil both in number of cases and deaths in Latin America.

The two countries had handled the epidemic entirely differently: While Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro downplayed the dangers posed by the coronavirus, Peru’s President Martin Vizcarra declared on March 15 a nationwide state of emergency that included mandatory self-quarantine, and shuttered the country’s borders.

But the virus surged all the same.

More than 85% of Peru’s ICU beds with ventilators are currently occupied, according to government figures, and overcrowding at hospitals is feared.

“This situation is not just a health emergency, but a health catastrophe, defined as a situation where the pandemic has overtaken the response capacity of the health sector,” Dr. Alfredo Celis of the Medical College of Peru told CNN en Español.

How did a country that responded assertively and seriously to the pandemic end up like this?

Needs vs. quarantine measures

The deep inequality in Peru is one reason, according to Dr. Elmer Huerta, a Peruvian doctor and contributor to CNN en Español. “What I have learned is that this virus lays bare the socio-economic conditions of a place,” he said.

Many of Peru’s poor have no choice but to venture outside their homes for work, food or even banking transactions.

For example, only 49% of Peruvian households own a refrigerator or freezer (61% in urban areas), according to the country’s 2017 Census. This translates to a need for many to visit markets daily for food because they can’t stock up, Huerta said.

“You’re supposed to avoid human contact in a society where one can’t stay at home,” Huerta said.

On April 14 — about a month after Peru enacted its mandatory stay-at-home policy and implemented a curfew — CNN affiliate TV Peru showed images outside of a market on the outskirts of Lima. Shoppers waited in line for hours and a large mass of people milled about. Most wore masks, but social distancing seemed impossible.

“We must endure (the crowds) because there is no other way,” one woman standing in line told TV Peru. “If not, we will not have food. We have nothing to eat, that’s why we have come here.”

On that day, the tally of confirmed coronavirus cases in the country was 10,303. Today, it is 10 times higher.

Unintended consequences

People have also ended up crowding at banks as they attempted to access coronavirus relief funds.

The government’s stimulus package to help millions of Peru’s most vulnerable families was a good idea, but its distribution was poorly designed, said Kristian Lopez Vargas, a Peruvian economist and assistant professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

In a report last year, the agency that regulates Peru’s banks reported that only about 38% of adults have a bank account. The lack of access to the financial system means a majority of aid recipients have to go in person to the banks to obtain their money.

“It was not hard to anticipate people’s behavior in their attempt to access this aid,” Lopez Vargas told CNN. “Instead, these policies caused unnecessary harm by inducing people to gather in large crowds in banks.”

Many Peruvians also live and work in ways that simply can’t be reconciled with social distancing, he pointed out. According to Lopez Vargas, more than 30% of households in Peru live in overcrowded conditions, with four or more people sleeping in the same room.

And more than 72% work in the informal economy, according to Peru’s National Institute of Statistics and Information. For those living day-to-day in the informal sector, earning an income oftentimes depends on going out to work and not self-isolating.

This, combined with the needs of millions to obtain food and other items from crowded markets, “was an explosive mix,” Lopez Vargas said.

What now?

On Friday, President Vizcarra extended the state of emergency until June 30, keeping in place the mandatory self-quarantine and curfews across the country. It was the fifth time the emergency measures have been extended. But this time, the extension was paired with authorization for certain businesses to re-open, including services like salons, food delivery and dentistry.

Peru’s priorities for enforcing health guidelines also appear to have evolved since the state of emergency was first declared. In early April, Vizcarra reported that during the first weeks of the stay-at-home mandate, as many as 3,000 people were detained for disobeying the measures on some days. On Monday, he announced that the priority will be on enforcing health protocols at the country’s markets.

One lesson learned from the pandemic response is that people must change certain “social behaviors that have done much damage,” he added.

“This kind of behavior is individualistic, selfish…ignoring what’s happening around us, and precisely what has brought this situation upon us, not just in Peru, but the whole world,” said Vizcarra.

But Huerta, the doctor, and Lopez Vargas, the economist, caution against placing too much blame on the people. The underlying problems that the pandemic has laid bare are not new.

“While it may seem like a mystery to some, it’s not,” Lopez Vargas said.

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Jimmy Cobb, Drummer On Miles Davis’ ‘Kind of Blue’ Album, Dead At 91

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Jimmy Cobb, Drummer On Miles Davis’ ‘Kind of Blue’ Album, Dead At 91

Jimmy Cobb, a percussionist and the last surviving member of Miles Davis’ 1959 “Kind of Blue” groundbreaking jazz album which transformed the genre and sparked several careers, died Sunday.

His wife, Eleana Tee Cobb, announced on Facebook that her husband died at his New York City home from lung cancer. He was 91.

Born in Washington, D.C., Cobb told The Associated Press in 2019 he listened to jazz albums and stayed up late to hear disc jockey Symphony Sid playing jazz in New York City before launching his professional career. He said it was saxaphonist Cannonball Adderley who recommended him to Davis, and he ended up playing on several Davis recordings.

But Cobb’s role as a drummer on the “Kind of Blue” jam session headed by Davis would forever change his career. That album also featured Adderley and John Coltrane.

The album, released on Aug. 17, 1959, captured a moment when jazz was transforming from bebop to something newer, cooler and less structured.

The full takes of the songs were recorded only once, with one exception, Cobb said. “Freddie Freeloader” needed to be played twice because Davis didn’t like a chord change on the first attempt, he said.

Davis, who died in 1991, had some notes jotted down, but there weren’t pages of sheet music. It was up to the improvisers to fill the pages. “He’d say this is a ballad. I want it to sound like it’s floating. And I’d say, ‘OK,’ and that’s what it was,” Cobb recalled.

The album received plenty of acclaim at the time, yet the critics, the band and the studio couldn’t have known it would enjoy such longevity. He and his bandmates knew the album would be a hit but didn’t realize at the time how iconic it would become.

“We knew it was pretty damned good,” Cobb joked.

It has sold more than 4 million copies and remains the best selling jazz album of all time. It also served as a protest album for African American men who looked to Davis and the jazz musicians to break stereotypes about jazz and black humanity.

Cobb would also work with such artists as Dinah Washington, Pearl Bailey, Clark Terry, Dizzy Gillespie, Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, Wynton Kelly and Stan Getz. He’d also release a number of albums on his own.

He performed well into his late 80s and played in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 2017, as part of the New Mexico Jazz Festival. Jazz fans from throughout the American Southwest came to pay their respects in what many felt was a goodbye.

This story corrects a previous version that misspelled the name of Miles Davis.

Associated Press writer David Sharp contributed to this piece from Portland, Maine.

Contreras reported from Albuquerque, New Mexico. He is a member of The Associated Press’ race and ethnicity team. Follow him on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/russcontreras



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Memorial Day Observances Smaller, More Subdued During Pandemic

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Memorial Day Observances Smaller, More Subdued During Pandemic

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Americans settled for small processions and online tributes instead of parades Monday as they observed Memorial Day in the shadow of the pandemic, which forced communities to honor the nation’s military dead with modest, more subdued ceremonies that also remembered those lost to the coronavirus.

On the weekend that marked the unofficial start of summer, authorities warned people heading to beaches, parks or backyard barbecues to heed social-distancing rules to avoid a resurgence of the disease that has infected 5.4 million people worldwide and killed over 345,000, including nearly 100,000 Americans, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

Memorial Day commemorations were canceled or toned down across the country. Veterans, along with nursing home residents, have made up a significant portion of those who died in the U.S. outbreak.

Frank Groblebe and his wife placed lilacs on several graves at Mountview Cemetery in Billings, Montana, including those of his mother and father, who served in the Philippines as a Navy Seabee during World War II. Groblebe said he approved of plans to curtail the ceremony, which included a motorcycle procession and moments of quiet remembrance.

“This is our freedom. This is our history. It’s what they fought for,” Groblebe said, briefly choking up with tears. “Anything that shows respect for it is all right with me.”

Sharon Oakland placed mums on the grave of her father, also a Navy veteran in World War II. She watched from a distance as the motorcycles rolled by. “What they’ve done is remarkable given what’s going on with the virus,” she said.

The day looked different across the U.S. The 37,000 American flags traditionally placed on the Boston Common to honor Massachusetts military members who died in service were replaced with just 1,000 flags, to limit volunteers and onlookers. In Minneapolis, several bagpipers and drummers lined up outside the Minnesota Veterans Home and played as a parade of cars drove past.

The city of Woodstock, Georgia, held its ceremony online. American Legion Post 316 Commander Julian Windham recognized service members who helped in the global fight against COVID-19.

“Even when the enemy is an invisible virus or a microscopic germ, the sacrifices made are just as meaningful,” Windham said. The ceremony, which included readings, vocal performances and gunshots from a ceremonial rifle team, were filmed over a series of days last week and edited together, Windham said.

In Chicago, a neighborhood group that’s been holding a parade for more than a half century also moved its event online, with video clips from previous years and messages from special guests, including veterans and Mayor Lori Lightfoot. In the suburb of Lisle, a convoy of vehicles from fire departments and VFW posts drove silently through village streets.

Fallen military members were honored in New York City with car convoys and small ceremonies.

“It’s something we’re upset about, but we understand,” said Raymond Aalbue, chairman of the United Military Veterans of Kings County, which usually puts on a parade in Brooklyn. There’s “no reason to put anybody in harm’s way,” he said, adding “it’s really cutting quick to the heart of all the veterans.”

On Long Island, a small group of veterans saluted, wearing masks and spaced several feet apart, as a parade of cars passed beneath a large American flag.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo joined a private ceremony at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in Manhattan, with both the sacrifices of military members and the challenge of the coronavirus on his mind.

“Over 100,000 Americans will lose their lives to this COVID virus. How do we honor them? We honor them by growing stronger together,” he said.

“We want to make sure we remember them and thank our heroes today.”

Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden made his first in-person appearance in more than two months by laying a wreath at a veterans park near his Delaware home. He wore a face mask as he and his wife bowed their heads in silence. He saluted and could be heard saying “Never forget.”

Biden told reporters, “I feel great to be out here.” He also yelled to a group standing nearby, “Thank you for your service.”

After two days of playing golf, President Donald Trump visited Arlington National Cemetery, where he laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which overlooks rolling hills dotted with white tombstones. He later spoke at Baltimore’s historic Fort McHenry, noting that tens of thousands of service members and national guard personnel are currently “on the front lines of our war against this terrible virus.”

Trump said brave warriors from the nation’s past have shown that “in America, we are the captains of our own fate.”

Tens of thousands of Americans still headed outdoors over the weekend to shake off some pandemic restrictions. Missouri’s health director issued a dire warning Monday after photos and video showed weekend revelers partying close together. One video posted on social media showed a crammed pool at Lake of the Ozarks. Many of those seen in the video were young people, who may not experience symptoms.

“When they then carry the virus and transmit it to a more vulnerable person, this is when we tend to see the long-lasting and tragic impact of these decisions that are being made,” said Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services Director Randall Williams. St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson called such high-risk behavior “irresponsible and dangerous.”

Forliti reported from Minneapolis. Associated Press writers Sara Burnett in Chicago and R.J. Rico in Atlanta also contributed to this report.

Follow AP pandemic coverage at http://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak.



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Brazil faces a dark week as Covid-19 toll soars

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Brazil faces a dark week as Covid-19 toll soars

On Sunday, the Ministry of Health announced 15,813 new cases of coronavirus had been confirmed over the last 24 hours, bringing its total number of cases to over 363,000. More than 22,000 Brazilians have died so far.

It followed a grim milestone Saturday, when Brazil overtook Russia to become the country with the most confirmed cases of Covid-19 after the United States, according to Johns Hopkins University figures.

That was the night that Bolsonaro and his security team left Brasilia’s presidential palace and made an impromptu stop at a hot dog stand. While local media captured the president eating his snack, people could be heard yelling “killer” and “trash” and banging pots and pans from their windows. The President at one point turned and wagged his finger at the crowd.

While the country’s number of confirmed cases and death rate soar, Bolsonaro has referred to the virus as a “little flu” and frequently downplayed its risks. Two health ministers have left his cabinet in the past few weeks — one was fired and the other resigned — after disagreements over how to handle the pandemic.

Bolsonaro has repeatedly expressed concern about the financial impact of the virus, warning it will be worse than the virus itself. He has been outspoken against preventive measures, like lockdowns and quarantines, imposed by governors and mayors of some of the most impacted places in Brazil.

His supporters seem to agree. On Sunday, crowds gathered outside Planalto Presidential Palace in Brasilia waving banners and flags in support of Bolsonaro and protesting the lockdown measures. The rallies have been happening nearly every weekend and are usually broadcast live on Bolsonaro’s personal Facebook account.

In video footage of the latest rally, Bolsonaro could be seen with and without a mask as he greeted excited supporters cheering behind a barrier. At one point, a young girl slipped past the barrier and hugged him, while he wasn’t wearing a mask.

National Security Adviser Gen. Augusto Heleno, who was with Bolsonaro at the event, could be heard saying, “We will win this war.”

“This is a calculated risk and everything will work out,” he added.

However, Bolsonaro’s critics have slammed the government for how things are working out. During an interview with CNN Sunday, Manaus Mayor Arthur Virgilio Neto said the president was “co-responsible” for the country’s coronavirus deaths and called fo the president’s resignation.

“Shut up, stay home and resign,” Virgilio Neto said.

Manaus, a city of 2 million known as the gateway to the Amazon, has been devastated by the virus More than 13,000 cases and 1,182 deaths have been registered in Manaus. On Saturday alone, there were 51 burials.

Virgilio Neto’s attack was not unprovoked — in a video of an April cabinet meeting released last week by the country’s Supreme Court as part of an unrelated probe, Bolsonaro was revealed calling the Manaus mayor a “piece of shit,” referencing the city’s mass graves.

The explosion of cases in Brazil is part of a new rise across Latin America that worries health experts. Peru, Chile and Mexico have also seen steep rises in new cases over the past week.

“We don’t have the situation under control and particularly in many of the poorer areas of the world, it’s really spiraling upward,” Dr. Keiji Fukuda, former World Health Organization assistant director-general for health security told CNN’s Alisyn Camerota on Friday.

And while Brazil’s so-called “Trump of the Tropics” has been accused of failing to take Covid-19 seriously enough, his counterpart in the United States is starting to signal concern.

On Sunday, US President Donald Trump — a vocal ally of Bolsonaro who has also faced criticism for his handling of the pandemic — suspended entry for foreign nationals who have been in Brazil within 14 days immediately preceding their attempt to enter the United States.

Reporting contributed by Jason Hoffman in Washington, and Claudia Dominguez and Maija Ehlinger in Atlanta.

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Family of missing backpacker urge those ‘withholding information’ to come forward

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Family of missing backpacker urge those ‘withholding information’ to come forward
The family of missing Belgium backpacker Théo Hayez have urged anyone withholding information to come forward ahead of the one-year anniversary of his disappearance from Byron Bay on NSW‘s north coast.

Mr Hayez’s parents, Vinciane Delforge and Laurent Hayez, said in a statement to 9news.com.au they continue to believe someone knows what happened to their son after he disappeared from Cheeky Monkey’s bar on the evening of May 31 2019.

Missing Belgian teenager Theo Hayez vanished more than a week ago. (Supplied)

“One year on, we believe that there is much more to Théo’s story than has been brought to light,” they said.

“We have high hopes in the work of the NSW Coroner and her dedicated team of lawyers, and we continue to believe that somebody out there holds information that could bring new evidence to light.

The teenager was six months into an eight months trip when he disappeared.
The teenager was six months into an eight months trip when he disappeared. (Facebook)

“We are begging for witnesses to come forward. We continue our plea to anyone who might be withholding information to come forward.”

Mr Hayez’s parents have thanked the public for their support during their “nightmare.”

Severine Marcotty with her boyfriend, missing backpacker Theo Hayez.
Missing backpacker Theo Hayez pictured with his girlfriend Severine Marcotty. (Facebook)

“May 31st is approaching – one year since Théo disappeared. We would like to thank the public for supporting us through this very difficult year,” they said.

“The generosity of strangers has blown us away and continues to help us endure this nightmare.

“We miss our son tremendously and together, we must find out what happened to him.”

Mr Hayez was 18-years-old at the time he went missing. He was last seen on CCTV at 11pm on May 31st walking away from Cheeky Monkey’s on Jonson Street.

Police said he was asked to leave by staff after showing signs of intoxication.

This is the last known sighting of Theo Hayez.
This is the last known sighting of Theo Hayez. (Supplied)

He was wearing a black baseball hat, hooded sweatshirt, beige pants and black Adidas shoes.

Location data gained from the teen’s Google account revealed that he headed in the opposite direction of his accommodation at the Wake Up hostel to Cosy Corner on Tallow Beach, near the famed Byron Bay lighthouse.

An extensive air, land and sea search operation, which involved multiple agencies across police, SES volunteers and surf life-saving groups failed to unearth clues as to his whereabouts.

Volunteers search along the Tyagarah Nature Reserve for missing Belgian backpacker Theo Hayez
Volunteers search along the Tyagarah Nature Reserve for missing Belgian backpacker Theo Hayez (AAP)

Police called off their physical search in late June but determined locals continued to scour the area. In July a volunteer-led search party found a hat similar to the one Mr Hayez was last seen wearing in the bushland near Tallow Beach, close to where Mr Hayez’s Oppo R17 smartphone last registered with a phone tower.

The hat has been sent for DNA testing but Mr Hayez’s family are confident the hat belonged to the teen.

Family are confident the hat pictured above is Mr Hayez’s. (Facebook)

A family’s search for answers

With the one-year anniversary of Mr Hayez’s disappearance fast approaching, his family have taken to social media and launched a new website, www.looking4theo.com, to help boost their fresh appeal for information.
A missing persons flyer is seen near a beach as the search continues for missing backpacker Theo Hayez at Byron Bay on the far north New South Wales coast, Thursday, June 20, 2019. (AAP Image/Dave Hunt)
A missing persons flyer is seen near a beach as the search continues for missing backpacker Theo Hayez at Byron Bay on the far north New South Wales coast, Thursday, June 20, 2019. (AAP Image/Dave Hunt) (AAP)

Facebook users have been encouraged to use the hashtage #lookingfortheo, and either light a candle, make a mandala, or share a song in tribute to Mr Hayez.

“We know that we are not alone and every message, drawing or photo with Théo’s name holds us up and allows us to continue this journey,” his parents said.

Police have prepared Mr Hayez's case for the Coroner.
Police have prepared Mr Hayez’s case for the Coroner. (Facebook)

“When you light a candle, make a mandala or think of a song, we love to know that you did that for Théo.”

Earlier this month the family announced they would be speaking less publicly about the case, so as to not jeopardise the ongoing investigation.

“We are preparing more ways to expand our call nationally and internationally to reach as many people as possible,” they wrote.

This May 31, 2019, image from CCTV provided Monday, June 17, 2019, by New South Wales Police Force, missing Belgian backpacker Theo Hayez, center, wearing black hooded jumper, inside liquor store in Byron Bay, Australia.
This May 31, 2019, image from CCTV provided Monday, June 17, 2019, by New South Wales Police Force, missing Belgian backpacker Theo Hayez, center, wearing black hooded jumper, inside liquor store in Byron Bay, Australia. (AP/AAP)

“It will soon be one year now and it is still important that you keep talking about Theo, we still believe that someone out there could help us to find out what really happened by providing us with some information about that night.”

The disappearance of Théo Hayez gained widespread attention in June 2019 after his father, Laurent Hayez, flew to Australia from Belgium to find his son.

“When I left Belgium I promised Théo’s little brother Lucas that I would bring his brother home, please help me keep my promise to him,” he said.

NSW Police told 9News.com.au that the investigation into the disappearance of Mr Hayez is continuing, ahead of a Coronial inquest that will begin later this year.

A spokesperson for the Coroner’s Court told 9News.com.au that the date for the inquest into the “disappearance and suspected death of Théo Hayez” is yet to be determined.

Anyone who has any information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000, or forward information anonymously to: PO Box 208 Suffolk Park, NSW 2481.

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