A viral post claiming that a young woman earned enough through TikTok Live to buy a Rs5 million Honda Civic has stirred debate over social media’s influence on youth. The controversy widened after Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz MPA Hina Parvez Butt accused creators of spreading “shamelessness” and “corrupting” children. Read More: Five Ways to Reduce Children’s Screen Time Without Arguments The post on X carried screenshots from a street interview and a transcript of the woman’s answers. Her financial claims have not been independently verified. Woman Claims TikTok Live Funded Rs5 Million Civic Asked about her work, income and bank balance, the woman replied, “I do TikTok Live,” and said she had 80,000 subscribers. She claimed TikTok had transformed her finances and helped her purchase a Rs5 million Honda Civic. “I’m not that famous yet, I’m just getting there,” she said. ٹک ٹاک لائیو پر جتنی بے حیائی پھیلاؤ اتنے پیسے کماؤ۔ ٹک ٹاک لائیو میں جتنا گند یہ لوگ مچاتے ہیں اللہ کی پناہ۔ بدقسمتی سے بچوں اور نوجوانوں کے یہ لوگ ہیرو ہیں، اب ہر کوئی راتو رات امیر ہونا چاہتا ہے، ہر کوئی شارٹ کٹ چاہتا ہے۔ سوشل میڈیا کے جتنے فوائد اتنے نقصانات بھی ہیں، سب سے… https://t.co/Xverf0hHnk— Hina Parvez Butt (@hinaparvezbutt) July 19, 2026 The woman also described her clothing and accessories. She claimed she wore Rs8,000 trousers and a Rs3,000 shirt while carrying a Rs50,000 handbag. She added that her bank account held millions of rupees. “The most expensive thing I own right now is my bank card,” she said. The post then targeted motivational speakers and entrepreneurship influencers. “After seeing all this,” it read, “I think of Qasim Ali Shah, Azad Chaiwala, Tanveer Nandla, Hisham Sarwar and Rehan Allahwala, who spend all day motivating young people, giving them business ideas and encouraging them to learn freelancing skills.” Read More: Which Countries Are Banning Social Media for Children? The Growing List It added: “Someone should tell them that the younger generation has now chosen TikTok Live over skills and degrees, because that’s where the money is.” Hina Parvez Butt Warns of Harm to Youth Reposting the claim, Hina wrote, “The more shamelessness you spread on TikTok Live, the more money you make.” “The filth these people create on TikTok Live. God forbid,” she added. The Punjab Assembly member said creators had become role models for young audiences. “Unfortunately, these are the people our children and young people look up to as heroes,” she wrote. “Now everyone wants to get rich overnight. Everyone is looking for a shortcut,” Hina said. She acknowledged that social platforms create opportunities but warned against ignoring their risks. “Social media has as many harms as it does benefits,” she wrote. Read More: Survey Shows Public Support for 5% Tax on Social Media Creators “The most toxic of all are family vloggers and TikTok Live streamers, who are corrupting our children,” she concluded. TikTok says eligible creators can earn through LIVE by collecting virtual Gifts and offering subscriptions. Viewers purchase Gifts, while creators may receive rewards linked to them. DataReportal said TikTok’s advertising tools indicated 79.9 million adult users in Pakistan in late 2025. That represented 54.6 percent of the country’s adult population. The exchange highlights a growing cultural divide. Critics believe TikTok Live rewards spectacle and shortcuts. Supporters see livestreaming and content creation as legitimate income sources when traditional opportunities remain limited.
Meet the AI Drone That Hunts and Kills Mosquitoes Mid-Air
Engineers at Tornyol, a US startup backed by Y Combinator, are developing an AI-powered micro-drone designed to hunt mosquitoes in flight. The company says the technology could reduce mosquito-control costs by as much as 100 times. The project aims to replace or supplement chemical spraying and other costly control methods. Instead, swarms of lightweight drones could patrol homes, gardens and wider urban spaces. They would identify mosquitoes and destroy them through direct mid-air interception. Read More: Routine Dental Check Ends in Controversy After Patient Loses 12 Teeth Tornyol was founded by engineers Alex Toussaint and Clovis Piedallu. According to Y Combinator, the startup uses low-cost components, including smartphone microphones and sensors commonly found in vehicle parking systems. Its custom software then turns small toy-style drones into autonomous mosquito hunters. Drone Records First Mid-Air Insect Kill On July 14, Toussaint posted a video showing what he called the company’s “first air-to-air kill”. The footage showed a small drone chasing and eventually bringing down a moth inside a controlled testing area. The drone did not fire a projectile. Instead, it intercepted the insect and struck it with its spinning propellers. Extremely excited to announce our first air-to-air kill of a flying moth by an autonomous micro-drone. This is a big step towards completely eradicating mosquitoes. pic.twitter.com/UhtNqwXCQI — Alex Toussaint (@alextoussss) July 14, 2026 The test did not involve a mosquito, while the flight area remained limited. However, Tornyol considers it an important step toward building a system that can detect, follow and eliminate much smaller insects in real time. Reports on the demonstration said the 40-gram, palm-sized drone tracked the moth without direct human control. The company still needs to prove that the system can reliably detect real mosquitoes in larger and less predictable environments. The current prototype also faces practical limits. Reports suggest its battery supports only a few minutes of flight before the drone must return to its charging station. Therefore, a larger deployment would likely require several drones operating on coordinated schedules. How the Mosquito-Tracking System Works Tornyol’s stated goal is to develop drones weighing about 40 grams. They would rely on smartphone-grade microphones, ultrasonic sensors and custom signal-processing software. Read More: Same Elephant Kills Four Family Members Over 14 Years The system sends ultrasonic pulses and listens for returning echoes through a microphone array. Mosquito wings produce a distinct acoustic and Doppler signature. In theory, the software could use that signal to distinguish mosquitoes from moths, bees and other insects. Scientific research has already shown that smartphone microphones and machine-learning models can identify mosquito species through wingbeat sounds. However, real-world accuracy can fall because of wind, background noise and overlapping signals. Urban Mosquito Control Without Chemicals Toussaint and Piedallu hope to deploy swarms across urban areas. The company estimates that around 10 drones could clear mosquitoes from one square kilometre, although that claim has not yet been demonstrated independently. Read More: Couple Climbs Empire State Tower for Love and Lands in Custody The potential public health impact remains significant. The World Health Organization estimated 282 million malaria cases and 610,000 deaths worldwide in 2024. Mosquitoes also transmit dengue, Zika, chikungunya and West Nile virus. For now, Tornyol’s drone remains experimental. The moth test shows that autonomous interception is possible, but large-scale mosquito eradication will require longer battery life, accurate species identification and extensive outdoor trials.
Spain or Argentina: What’s Really at Stake in the World Cup Final?
Spain and Argentina will battle for football’s biggest prize on Sunday, but the 2026 FIFA World Cup final will also determine how FIFA’s largest ever financial distribution is shared. FIFA has increased the total financial package for the expanded 48 team tournament to a record $871 million, rewarding all participating national associations for their performances in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The package includes performance based prize money, preparation payments and additional financial support for participating teams. Read More: Messi Effect? FIFA World Cup Final Tickets Break US Record The biggest prize will go to Sunday’s winner at New York New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford. The champions will receive $50 million, while the runners up will earn $33 million, making victory in the final worth an extra $17 million for either the Royal Spanish Football Federation or the Argentine Football Association. FIFA originally approved a $727 million financial package in December 2025, including $655 million in performance related prize money, representing a 50 percent increase from the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. However, the governing body raised the overall distribution to $871 million shortly before the tournament after the expanded competition generated stronger than expected commercial revenues. Record Financial Rewards Across Every Stage Every one of the 48 participating nations received a guaranteed payment after qualifying for the tournament. FIFA increased preparation funding from $1.5 million to $2.5 million per team. It also raised the guaranteed participation payment from $9 million to $10 million. In addition, more than $16 million was allocated for delegation costs and increased ticket allocations for participating teams. Those changes pushed the total financial distribution to the record $871 million. The performance payments also increased at every knockout stage. Read More: FIFA’s Ultimate Prize Gets a Luxury Louis Vuitton Journey Teams eliminated between 33rd and 48th place now receive $10 million. Round of 32 teams earn $11 million, Round of 16 participants collect $15 million, and quarterfinalists receive $19 million. The fourth placed team takes home $27 million, while the third placed side earns $29 million. The prize money is paid directly to the national football associations rather than individual players. How much players eventually receive depends on bonus agreements negotiated separately with their respective federations. Neither Spain nor Argentina has publicly disclosed the full details of those arrangements. Clubs Also Cash In Beyond the Final The financial benefits extend well beyond the two finalists. FIFA’s Club Benefits Programme compensates clubs for releasing players to their national teams. Payments depend partly on how long players remain at the tournament and are distributed to clubs that employed them during the qualifying period. For the 2026 World Cup, FIFA increased funding for the programme to a record $355 million, compared with approximately $209 million during the 2022 tournament. Winning the World Cup can also create long term commercial gains. Read More: Messi’s Magic Sends Argentina Past England Into World Cup Final Success often boosts sponsorship opportunities, merchandise sales and the global profile of a national federation. For Argentina, another title would secure back to back World Cup triumphs and further strengthen the commercial appeal of Lionel Messi’s team. Spain, meanwhile, is chasing its first World Cup crown since 2010, with teenage star Lamine Yamal leading a new generation that could open fresh commercial opportunities for the federation and its sponsors. Sunday’s final therefore offers much more than football glory. It also carries one of the richest financial rewards ever seen in international sport.
Messi Loses World Cup Record as Mbappe Hits Historic 22nd Goal
Kylian Mbappe became the highest scorer in FIFA World Cup history on Saturday, but the historic milestone came in a losing cause as France fell 6-4 to England in a thrilling third-place playoff in Miami Gardens, Florida. The French captain scored twice in the second half to take his World Cup tally to 22 goals, moving one ahead of Argentina legend Lionel Messi. However, France’s spirited comeback from a 4-0 halftime deficit fell short as England secured the bronze medal in one of the highest-scoring matches in World Cup history. Read More: Spain or Argentina: What’s Really at Stake in the World Cup Final? Mbappe Sets New Record but Misses the Final Mbappe found the net in the 48th and 66th minutes, breaking the all-time World Cup scoring record that Messi had held with 21 goals. The Real Madrid forward has now scored 22 World Cup goals across three tournaments, including four in 2018, eight in 2022 and 10 in the 2026 edition. Despite reaching another historic landmark, Mbappe admitted the personal achievement offered little comfort after France missed out on the World Cup final. “I’m just trying to help my team score every time,” Mbappe said after the match. “It’s for sure that when you score that many goals in the World Cup, it elevates you to certain levels but I would have liked to not be the top scorer in history and play tomorrow’s (championship) match.” “So, I think it’s good for legacy and when we stop (playing) to say that I was one of those players. But today, it’s not the first thing crossing my mind.” Read More: Messi Effect? FIFA World Cup Final Tickets Break US Record The 27-year-old’s latest achievement adds another chapter to an already remarkable World Cup career. He lifted the trophy with France in 2018 and scored a memorable hat trick in the 2022 final, although Argentina eventually won that match on penalties. Golden Boot Race Still Open Before Final Mbappe’s brace also strengthened his grip on the Golden Boot race. He now leads the tournament with 10 goals, two ahead of Messi, who has eight entering Sunday’s World Cup final against Spain. The final in East Rutherford, New Jersey, gives Messi one last opportunity to close the gap in both the Golden Boot standings and the all-time World Cup scoring chart. A hat trick would see the Argentine reclaim both records. Mbappe also became the first player to score 10 goals in a single World Cup since West Germany legend Gerd Muller achieved the feat in 1970. Read More: FIFA’s Ultimate Prize Gets a Luxury Louis Vuitton Journey France’s record-setting striker was overshadowed by England’s Bukayo Saka, who scored a hat trick as the Three Lions raced into a 4-0 halftime lead. France mounted an impressive second-half rally through Mbappe, Bradley Barcola and Ousmane Dembele, but Jude Bellingham’s stoppage-time goal sealed England’s 6-4 victory. Although Mbappe leaves the tournament without a medal of the color France wanted, he departs having rewritten one of football’s most prestigious records. Whether it stands for long could depend on what Messi produces in the World Cup final.
