National News

Economist Julio Raudales, former president of the Honduran Economists' College, notes that poverty in Honduras has remained at roughly 63% since 2001, questioning what progress has been made despite 25 years of Temporary Protected Status for Hondurans in the US.

Honduras's foreign minister said the end of Temporary Protected Status for over 55,000 Hondurans in the US does not mean all beneficiaries must return immediately, as individual cases will depend on family ties, residency length, and pending legal proceedings.

Honduras's Health Ministry is maintaining epidemiological surveillance and urging stronger prevention measures as cases of myiasis caused by the screwworm (a parasitic fly larva) continue to emerge across the country.

Honduras's Medical College says the government has failed to fulfill agreed commitments, undermining institutional credibility and leaving open the possibility of renewed conflict if the pledges are not honored.

Mayors and lawmakers aligned with the Liberal Party are preparing an alternative energy proposal that would keep the national power utility ENEE under state control, combat electricity theft and meter fraud (cited as over 90% of losses), and renegotiate rates with private generators.

Child-welfare advocates warned that Honduras lacks the educational and social infrastructure to absorb children returning after the US cancels Temporary Protected Status for Hondurans, with 878 minors already deported in 2026 and thousands more at risk.

Honduras's national utility ENEE has scheduled maintenance outages on August 19 affecting neighborhoods in Francisco Morazán, Cortés, Intibucá, Copán, and Santa Bárbara, with most cuts lasting roughly six hours between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m.

The Partido Nacional said it would back the Liberal Party's competing energy-sector bill if it gains legislative consensus, citing insufficient votes for its own proposal and the urgency of approving public contracts to lower electricity costs for consumers.

Environmental activists in Honduras face coordinated online attacks labeling them as false environmentalists, terrorists, or development opponents, alongside judicial persecution and displacement, according to a regional investigation presented at a Tegucigalpa forum.

Honduran midfielder Kervin Arriaga's transfer from Spain's Levante to Greece's AEK Athens for about 3 million euros will generate approximately 3.5 million lempiras (about $140,000) for Platense and Marathón under FIFA's solidarity mechanism, which compensates clubs that developed players before age 23.

Standard & Poor's is conducting a periodic review of Honduras's sovereign credit rating on August 18–19, meeting with President Asfura, Congress members, and the private sector to assess the government's fiscal, economic, and institutional conditions.

Cuarterías, Honduras's traditional shared-housing model, are being subdivided into private rooms with individual bathrooms, Wi-Fi, and utilities at rents double or triple those of unremodeled units, reshaping urban rental markets in major cities.

Between August 12 and 15, a law student was shot dead in a San Pedro Sula law office, three women were killed in separate incidents across Comayagua, Valle, and Francisco Morazán within roughly 24 hours, and police in Olanchito arrested suspects linked to a massacre and other violent crimes.

Through July 2026, 10 of 25 weather stations recorded their lowest rainfall since 2022, triggering food insecurity and water rationing across the dry corridor, with experts warning of crisis if rains fail in September and October.

Hondurans currently enrolled in universities abroad can apply for government scholarships through August 24, with the government allocating 264 million lempiras (about $10.6 million) this year for undergraduate and graduate study inside and outside the country.

The full Supreme Court has yet to rule on a constitutional appeal filed by the defense of retired General Romeo Vásquez Velásquez, who faces charges in the murder of Isy Obed Murillo; the case remains on the court's agenda pending discussion.

President Nasry Asfura requested that the United States evaluate each Honduran affected by the suspension of Temporary Protected Status on a case-by-case basis, noting that many have lived, worked, and built families in the US for decades since the program began after Hurricane Mitch 28 years ago.

Olimpia midfielder Edwin Rodríguez suffered a small nasal fracture after taking an elbow to the face in Sunday's 3-1 win over Motagua; medical exams show he can continue playing with a protective mask, with surgery deferred until after the Apertura tournament.

Honduras's Energy Commission is reviewing a Liberal Party counterproposal for restructuring the state electric utility into three operating subsidiaries, aiming to attract private capital for modernization while keeping state ownership of major generation and transmission assets.

Honduras's National Institute of Statistics clarified that photographing electricity meters during the 2026 national census is optional, not mandatory, after public concerns that the practice could be used to justify rate increases during an energy crisis.

The national utility ENEE will cut power in sectors of El Paraíso, Intibucá, Francisco Morazán, and Valle on August 18 and 19 for scheduled maintenance of distribution lines.

Honduras's insurance market is growing steadily, driven by life, auto, fire, and health coverage that account for over 80% of premiums, attracting reinsurers and expanding economic protection for families.

Congress will hold an emergency session on August 19 with mayors from 75 municipalities under yellow alert to address crop losses, water shortages, and food-security risks, proposing immediate aid to farmers, potable water, food assistance, and investment mechanisms.

The Agriculture Ministry projects rice production of 700,000 quintals (about 31,500 metric tons) in the near term, a 40% increase from 2025's roughly 500,000 quintals, as part of a strategy to reduce dependence on imports that currently supply over five million of the six million quintals Honduras consumes annually.

More than 15,500 Salvadorans entered Honduras during the August holiday week, a 31% increase over the same period last year, generating approximately $1.2 million in foreign exchange for the country, according to Tourism Minister Andrés Ehrler.

The Energy Ministry raised diesel prices by L 3.73–3.89 per gallon and kerosene by L 2.46–2.62 per gallon nationwide starting August 17, part of consecutive weeks of fuel increases affecting transport, industry, and agriculture.

Honduras has exported 7.18 million quintals (about 323,000 metric tons) of coffee so far this harvest season, surpassing the previous record and projecting total foreign-exchange earnings from coffee to reach historic levels of around $2.35 billion.

The president of the Supreme Court said an ex-judge accused of extortion will not be reinstated despite potential appellate rulings, and must undergo administrative review by the Judicial Career Council.

President Asfura attributed the US cancellation of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) affecting over 50,000 Hondurans to strained diplomatic relations between the previous Castro administration and the White House, saying that stance damaged the legal standing of Hondurans in the program for decades.

A law exempting returned Honduran migrants from import duties on household goods, work tools, and vehicles is set to begin on August 28 after awaiting regulations.