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Time Out
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
South Africa is officially one of the world's funniest countries
If there's one thing South Africans are known for, it's our ability to laugh through just about anything. We don't take ourselves too seriously – and more often than not, that sense of humour brings us together. Take lockdown, for example. When Cabinet Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma defended the tobacco ban with her now-infamous line – "When people zol, they put saliva on the paper, and then they share that zol" – the internet did what it does best. Within days, Capetonian music producer Max Hurrell had turned the moment into the viral hit 'Zol', which quickly became a national lockdown anthem. Fast forward to the 2023 Rugby World Cup and the peak of loadshedding, and Mgarimbe gave 'Sister Bethina', affectionately called South Africa's unofficial second national anthem, a fresh spin with 'Amabokoboko (Sister Bokkina)', featuring the memorable line: "We're taking the loadshedding to France, boys." View this post on Instagram A post shared by 947 (@947joburg) Now, science has caught up with what we've always known. A global study by Remitly using the Humour Styles Questionnaire, involving 6,000 participants across 30 countries, set out to identify the World's Funniest Nations – and South Africa made the list, ranking 19th with an average humour score of 69.26. The study assessed four types of humour: Affiliative humour: The social glue – friendly, inclusive, and uplifting. Self-enhancing humour: Optimistic and resilient – helping people cope through tough times. Aggressive humour: Sarcastic, teasing, and sometimes at others' expense. Self-defeating humour: Self-deprecating and used to deflect or gain approval. While we didn't crack the top 10 overall, South Africa did claim the number one spot for both affiliative and self-enhancing humour. The 10 Funniest Nations: Czech Republic Portugal Ireland Belgium Chile Greece Australia Poland Denmark Hungary So no, we might not be the absolute funniest, but when it comes to laughter that brings people together and keeps spirits high, South Africa leads the pack. As if our sense of humour isn't enough (we're looking at you Trevor Noah), we've were also recently named one of the Best Countries on Earth!
Time of India
18-07-2025
- Time of India
Techie loses 4L in digital arrest fraud
Pune: A software engineer working with a prominent IT company in Hinjewadi lost Rs 4 lakh in a digital arrest fraud in Dec last year after cybercrooks threatened that her bank account was linked in a money laundering case. Sub-inspector Dnyaneshwar Zol of the Hinjewadi police said, "The woman approached us on Thursday and filed a complaint. We have registered a case under sections 316 (criminal breach of trust), 318 (cheating) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the relevant sections of the Information and Technology Act has been registered against unknown persons." He said, "On Dec 5, she received a call from an unknown number. The caller posed as an executive working with a courier company. He told the woman that a parcel containing generic medicines and drugs was being sent to Iran in her name. When the woman denied sending any such parcel, he told her Aadhaar number. She believed him," he said. You Can Also Check: Pune AQI | Weather in Pune | Bank Holidays in Pune | Public Holidays in Pune The officer said the caller then told the woman that police officers would like to talk to her on a video call. After the woman downloaded a telecommunication app, two men in uniform talked with her through a video call. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Simple, discreet hearing aids Amplifon Book Now Undo The 'officers' told the woman that her bank account was linked with two other people, who were involved in a money laundering case. "Under the pretext of giving her clearance from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and helping her with the verification, the crooks took her bank details and obtained a personal loan of Rs4.5 lakh in her name," the officer said. Zol said the woman transferred Rs2 lakh each to the two bank account numbers provided to her by the bogus police officers. As soon as the money was transferred, the crooks stopped responding to her. "After her complaint, Rs 1.87 lakh of the total transferred amount was frozen. She will get it after the court's order. Our further investigation is underway," Zol said.
Time of India
27-06-2025
- Time of India
Homemaker duped of 43L in online fraud
Pune: Cybercrooks, who posed as agents of an online jewellery store, duped a 45-year-old homemaker from Hinjewadi of Rs43.31 lakh in an online task fraud. The crooks gave prepaid tasks of writing posts related to their jewellery store and duped her between March and April this year . The woman filed an online complaint. After preliminary investigations, a case was registered with the Hinjewadi police on Thursday. Police sub-inspector Dnyaneshwar Zol of the Hinjewadi police said the complainant's husband was an IT engineer and currently based abroad. "While searching for an online job opportunity, the woman received messages from 'official agents' of an online jewellery store. They offered her a part-time job of completing tasks related to the promotion of the jewellery store. They offered handsome returns to the woman on her investments in the tasks," Zol said. You Can Also Check: Pune AQI | Weather in Pune | Bank Holidays in Pune | Public Holidays in Pune He said the woman first invested Rs10,000 and completed the tasks given to her through a link. The crooks gained her confidence by returning her Rs15,000. "Later, the woman went on investing and could see that she earned a good amount of money. After investing almost Rs32 lakh, the woman tried to withdraw her money. The crooks took more money from her by citing reasons like payment of GST and other charges," he said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Reliable Full Coverage Ahead Boost Mobile Australia Learn More Undo Zol said that the woman totally transferred Rs43.31 lakh to the different bank accounts provided to her. When the crooks demanded Rs8 lakh more from her, she became suspicious and stopped responding to them. "When she called her husband and told him about the transactions, he immediately alerted her that she was being duped. He told her to lodge a complaint," Zol said.
