National News

Honduras Central Bank auctioned $82.2 million in its weekly currency auction on September 14, setting the weighted average exchange rate at L26.8830 per dollar for September 15–16.

The Central Bank of Honduras reminds researchers that applications for the Juan Manuel Gálvez Socioeconomic Research Prize close on September 18, 2026 at 11:59 p.m.

Honduras will see clear, warm conditions through mid-morning on September 15 before rain moves into the central region and south during the afternoon, with accumulations of 3–5 mm most places but 15–25 mm possible in parts of Olancho, Atlántida, and Comayagua.

A national water shortage driven by El Niño has cut rainfall in Tegucigalpa by 43%, prompting authorities to ration tap water to residents every 12 days and renew calls for dams, reforestation, and groundwater restrictions to address Honduras's chronic pattern of climate-crisis reactions.

Diesel in Honduras reached an all-time high of 148.01 lempiras per gallon after nine consecutive weeks of increases, now exceeding the previous record for premium gasoline and pressuring prices across the economy.

Honduras, hosting the 22nd Central American student sports games, won 136 medals (30 gold, 39 silver, 67 bronze) across multiple disciplines, placing fifth overall as Panama topped the medal count with 72 golds.

President Nasry Asfura said his administration is analyzing whether to reinstate a state of exception—a measure that suspends ordinary law in targeted municipalities or departments—to strengthen security in zones with the highest violence, though he has not yet identified which areas would be affected.

The Foreign Ministry has repatriated 264 bodies of Hondurans who died abroad—mostly in the United States—in 2026, a 44% increase from 183 cases in the same period last year, while 173 additional repatriation requests remain pending.

Honduras's Health Ministry announced that most health facilities will remain open on September 15, with hospitals providing emergency services only, while primary-care centers and emergency clinics will operate normally during the independence-day holiday.

The national utility ENEE says no electricity outages are scheduled for September 15, Honduras's Independence Day, though planned maintenance resumes on September 16 after a two-day public holiday.

The Asfura administration will submit the 2027 general budget of approximately 457 billion lempiras to Congress on September 14, with lawmakers aiming to approve it before year-end.

An Oxfam report on the dry corridor spanning El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras warns that El Niño-linked drought has slashed grain harvests, killed livestock, reduced water access, and forced families to buy expensive food, hitting rural women and children hardest and raising malnutrition risk.

Former ENEE general manager Salomón Ordóñez warns that Honduras's largest hydroelectric reservoir has lost 50% of its generating capacity due to drought, with power-sector reform results expected in two to three years.

The Health Ministry is deploying mobile medical units (UMAC) to rural communities in Olancho, Atlántida, Intibucá, and El Paraíso from September 14–18 and 21–25, offering free consultations, lab work, dental care, X-rays, ultrasound, and mammography.

Henry Figueroa headed home the only goal to give Marathón a 1–0 win over Olimpia in Matchday 7 of the Apertura 2026, handing Olimpia their first loss of the season and moving Marathón to the top of the table.

Honduras's Medical Association called a nationwide assembly for September 14 to present 16 demands including an immediate end to physician layoffs, salary adjustments tied to inflation, and a commitment that 12% of the national budget go to public health.

Cenaos forecasts rain in some zones of Honduras on September 15, the country's Independence Day, though conditions will remain mostly dry with temperatures of 30–40°C (86–104°F) before that date.

The National Pedagogical University (UPNFM) is hiring an auditor in Tegucigalpa and a secretary in La Ceiba, each paying L18,444.80 (about $740) monthly; applications for the Tegucigalpa position close September 16.

Honduras increased its temporary fuel subsidy from 50% to 65% to cushion households from rising global oil prices, with new fuel prices taking effect September 14 in Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula.

The president of Honduras's national tourism chamber said the part-time employment law, which requires a minimum 18-hour work week, is incompatible with tourism's needs and that the industry is pushing for hourly-based employment instead.

Honduras's men's futsal team defeated Costa Rica 5–3 in the third-place match at the CODICADER 2026 Central American secondary-school games, though the match descended into disciplinary trouble after several referee decisions sparked confrontations, including a Costa Rican player striking the referee.

More than 117,000 Honduran women are unemployed with a joblessness rate of 6.8%, nearly double the 3.7% rate for men, reflecting barriers women face in entering the formal labor market despite Labor Minister Fernando Puerto's claim they have greater presence once employed.

The Health Ministry received four portable X-ray machines with artificial intelligence technology from the Global Fund through Global Communities to improve tuberculosis screening and early diagnosis.

Platense striker Georgie Welcome scored a striking goal against Estrella Roja in a 2–2 draw, attributing the spectacular strike to faith while noting he shares an active-player record with Cristiano Ronaldo, Luka Modrić, and Lionel Messi from the 2010 World Cup.

A PAHO technical team met with Honduras's Health Secretariat, the Global Fund, UNAIDS, and civil-society partners this week to identify ways to strengthen HIV diagnosis, information systems, and counseling by integrating services into primary-care networks.

Surveillance teams from all 20 of Honduras's health regions attended a PAHO-supported webinar on epidemiological intelligence, part of a Pandemic Fund-backed project to build a faster, One Health–integrated early-warning system for outbreaks and health emergencies.

At a PAHO regional webinar, Honduras Deputy Health Minister Eduardo Midence highlighted the country's progress in reducing preventable maternal deaths through emergency obstetric coordination, adolescent pregnancy prevention, and expanded contraceptive access.

An analysis of Security Ministry data found that 349 massacres killed 1,346 Hondurans between 2018 and 2026, with northern and coastal departments—Cortés, Yoro, Atlántida, and Colón—accounting for the majority of victims, and killings stalled between 2025 and 2026 after declines in 2020 and 2024.

Court documents show the US prosecutor calculated a three-ton cocaine shipment linked to Honduran trafficker Fredy Mármol at $93.5 million (about L2.5 billion) using an average street price of $31,161.76 per kilogram during the conspiracy period.

Honduras's Education Ministry confirmed that teachers will have September 16 off and September 17 as a holiday (Teachers' Day), but must resume classes on Friday, September 18, ending the Independence Day break early.