Tuesday, August 4, 2026 — Evening Edition

Honduras's National Congress voted 98-0 to investigate and shut down clandestine abortion services operating on social media, approving a motion by Congress president Tomás Zambrano over objections from women's-rights groups.

More than 10,000 public employees, many of them Libre-party hires, have been fired under the Economic Reactivation Law since February 2026, and labor unions say that as of late July many have yet to receive the severance payments they are owed by law.

Lawmakers are negotiating a bill to rescue the troubled state power utility ENEE and modernize its aging infrastructure, and congressional leaders say a formal vote could come this week or next.

Also reported by: El Libertador

Honduras's net international reserves hit $11.7 billion as of July 31, up $1.4 billion since late January and enough to cover 6.8 months of imports, the central bank reported.

A new presidential decree bars imports of goods produced in whole or in part through forced or compulsory labor, requiring businesses to confirm that international suppliers meet labor standards and to tighten due diligence.

The National Roads and Transportation Authority is studying a plan to keep low-displacement motorcycles (150 to 250 cubic centimeters) off major highways outside urban areas, the agency's director said.

Tegucigalpa's municipal government found two water veins at about 110 feet deep in the Nave Carías sector, with early estimates of 100 to 110 gallons per minute that could supply roughly 10 tanker trucks a day to more than 300 families amid the city's ongoing water crisis.

Honduras confirmed its 13th measles case this year, a six-month-old infant in Cortés department, with six cases imported and seven contracted at home, as health authorities urge full vaccination coverage to stop the spread.

A legislative commission met with prosecutors to strengthen investigations and prevention of sexual abuse of children and adolescents in schools, with 2025 data showing 1,082 reported cases across six major cities.

Tropical waves will bring scattered to moderate showers nationwide through August 9, with the heaviest rain expected Friday and Saturday and brief dry spells Wednesday and Sunday, Cenaos forecasters said.

The second Reto Canal 2026 invites swimmers of all ages to compete over open-water distances of 800 meters, 2 kilometers, and 5 kilometers on Honduras's Lake Yojoa, with organizers stressing safety through lifeguards, medical staff, and certified trainers.

More than 420 Honduran children have been named Lamine Yamal since the Spanish player's rise, part of a decade-long trend of parents naming newborns after soccer icons such as Neymar (1,257 registrations), Messi (46), and Mbappé (11), led by Cortés department.

José Alfredo Rodríguez, a Honduran defender who trained at FC Barcelona's La Masía academy, announced he is leaving the club weeks after playing for Honduras's U-20 team at the Concacaf Prequalifier.

Motagua beat Juticalpa 3-0 in the opening match of Honduras's Apertura 2026 season, the top-flight spring tournament.

Also reported by: Diez

Fermín Melgar Godoy, 50, died in a fast-moving fire that gutted a house in Danlí, El Paraíso; firefighters found his remains as the site cooled.

Investigative reporting traces how the Mexican cartel Los Zetas expanded its grip on cocaine corridors from South America through Central America to Mexico, including routes through Honduras, after wiping out a rival Guatemalan clan in 2008 and clashing directly with Honduran police in Copán in 2011.

Firefighters rescued Olga Roxana González, 43, after a latrine cover gave way and she fell into a 20-foot-deep septic tank in Los Pinos, east of Tegucigalpa; she was taken to Hospital Escuela to be checked for injuries and sewage exposure.