National News

The Association for a Just Society says the government has not implemented key commitments from its National Anti-Corruption Strategy, including appointing a Presidential Commissioner for Transparency, despite announcing plans for new anti-corruption legislation.

Economist Amparo Canales says the lempira has depreciated 1.69% against the US dollar so far in 2026, raising import costs for fuel, medicines, and production inputs and potentially pushing consumer prices higher.

More than 260 people have died by suicide in Honduras in 2026, according to official SEPOL data, with experts warning that unemployment, economic despair, and social crisis are driving the alarming toll.

Infrastructure Secretary Aníbal Ehrler says landowners who bought property at $40–$50 per vara (about 33 square meters) are now demanding $350 per vara for expropriation, calling the markup excessive for public projects.

Honduras's prosecutors' association is urging the Public Ministry and Congress to approve emergency funding to hire about 200 new prosecutors, citing a case backlog caused by the current 760 prosecutors being overwhelmed and no new hires in seven years.

The National Police expanded its intervention strategy from 30 to 50 municipalities nationwide to prevent criminal gangs from relocating operations to areas with less police presence, according to the police communications director.

Honduras's official cost-of-living measure now includes 405 items—housing, utilities, transportation, healthcare, and digital services—reflecting the true expenses Honduran families face beyond groceries.

A court postponed the initial hearing against former president Juan Orlando Hernández on fraud and money-laundering charges to August 18, after his legal team requested more time to review evidence presented by prosecutors.

Motagua drew 1–1 at home against Costa Rican side Cartaginés in the Concacaf Central American Cup group stage, leaving the Honduran club needing a result in its final match at Municipal (Guatemala) to secure a knockout-round spot.

The European Union is requiring Honduran palm-oil producers to prove via geolocation tracking and environmental compliance that their crops come from non-deforested areas to maintain and expand access to European markets under new EU regulations taking effect later this year.

Immunologist Mary Vallecillo of Harvard Medical School contradicted a congressional health commission's proposal to require special sanitary licenses for used-clothing stores, saying the weeks-long shipping time in containers eliminates any viral transmission risk.

Anabel Gallardo, president of Honduras's business council (Cohep), warned that chronic electricity shortages and lack of legal certainty continue to discourage foreign investment and job creation in the country.

A labor-union leader warns that 2.5 million Hondurans lack adequate food despite reported macroeconomic growth, arguing low wages and weak job prospects drive mass migration and leave the country competing with Haiti on poverty measures.

The Central Bank of Honduras auctioned $92.3 million in its daily currency offering on August 13, setting the weighted average exchange rate at L26.8230 per dollar for August 14.

Honduras will rejoin the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (CIADI), a World Bank affiliate, on August 16 after nearly two years of withdrawal, seeking to strengthen investor confidence and legal certainty.

Honduran club Marathón defeated Antigua GFC 3-0 in Guatemala in the 2026 Central American Cup, securing three points to keep alive its hopes of advancing in the regional tournament.

Honduran forward Antony "Choco" Lozano has agreed to sign with CD Marathón on a one-year contract, returning to the Honduran league after his stint with Santos Laguna in Mexico ended due to a knee injury.

Honduras's tourism industry chamber says the part-time employment law approved by Congress in March has proven unworkable in practice, citing difficulty guaranteeing fixed hours or event-based contracts that the law requires, and is asking lawmakers to revise or reconsider its provisions.

The Finance Ministry has set preliminary budget allocations for government institutions as they prepare the 2027 General Budget proposal, due to Congress by September 14, with Finance Minister Emilio Hernández Hércules stressing the need to accelerate public investment execution this year.

Conapremm, Honduras's national mass-mobility commission, has launched a physical and mechanical inspection campaign for buses ahead of Semana Morazánica to reduce traffic accidents, involving police, military, firefighters, and the Red Cross.

A congressman from the Libre party introduced a bill to reform the 2014 anti-bullying law, requiring schools to establish prevention programs, internal reporting systems, immediate victim support, and conflict-resolution initiatives.

Cohep, Honduras's main private-sector organization, rejected any involvement in a National Congress member Adolfo Ráquel's electricity-sector reform proposal, saying it has not reviewed or endorsed the initiative and will not be held responsible for its technical, legal, or financial implications.

President Nasry Asfura called on Congress to approve energy-sector reforms aimed at reducing financial losses at the state-run electricity utility ENEE.

An attorney asked Honduras's Constitutional Court on Thursday to enforce Article 374 of the constitution, which bars amendment of the presidential term-limit rule (Article 239) that prohibits anyone who has served as president from running again.

Journalist Héctor Ordóñez has replaced José Argueta as the government's communications secretary, following Argueta's quiet suspension after about six months in the role amid questions about the administration's messaging strategy.

Jorge Cálix, the Liberal Party's congressional leader, introduced a bill and a criminal-code reform to impose prison sentences on people who steal electricity from the state utility ENEE.

Congress approved reforms to streamline repatriation by establishing a single coordinating office where Hondurans can handle customs, immigration, and vehicle-registration procedures in one process rather than visiting multiple agencies.

The European Union will provide 8 million euros (about $9.2 million) to support Honduras's electricity reforms and leverage additional energy investments, while expanding civil-society participation in its cooperation projects.

Security analyst José Ponce Alvarado attributes 11 massacres and 59 deaths across Yoro, Atlántida, and Colón in 2026 to historic drug-trafficking routes, gang activity, and insufficient police control in departments where criminal structures operate with relative impunity.

Honduras's electric regulator (CREE) published a comparative analysis of the electric-sector reform bill showing how negotiations between the President, Congress, and the Liberal Party shifted the final version approved on August 12, with added restrictions on state utility ENEE.