National News

Former president Juan Orlando Hernández, previously convicted in the US of drug trafficking and later pardoned, stated he will face money-laundering accusations with respect for the justice system.

State power utility ENEE accumulated a L11.2 billion (about $450 million) deficit in the first seven months of 2026, with energy theft and illegal connections accounting for roughly 75% of losses, according to a civil-society analysis presented to energy regulators and Congress.

Coiproden logged 363 violent deaths of children and young people in Honduras from January through July 2026, a 12% rise over the same period in 2025.

ASJ, a civil-society organization, urges Congress to focus energy-sector reform solely on overhauling the state power utility ENEE to improve efficiency, reduce blackouts, and lower costs for poor households.

The government will fund about 3,000 water-harvesting reservoirs nationwide, using geomembranes to store seasonal rainfall for livestock and irrigation during dry months, as drought has killed 300 cattle and cut milk output by 50% on unprepared farms.

The government has allocated over L1.05 billion (about $42 million) in construction and supervision contracts for pothole repair and rehabilitation of the national road network under an emergency decree, though sectors are demanding proof of work quality following recent rains.

Leonardo Deras, commissioner of Honduras's electrical regulator, warns that Middle Eastern conflict pressures are likely to drive electricity costs to their highest levels of the year in the fourth quarter, as deferred rate adjustments of about 6% per trimester may no longer be sustainable.

The National Congress has delayed debate on an energy-reform bill at the executive branch's request, deferring discussion until further notice to allow time for consensus-building.

Copeco's Early Warning chief says the south and west are Honduras's most seismically vulnerable regions and warns that a major earthquake is "very likely" given the country's position on two tectonic plates.

The national power utility ENEE has scheduled maintenance and vegetation-clearing work resulting in power cuts in Valle, Olancho, El Paraíso, Comayagua, Cortés, Yoro, Copán, Atlántida, and Colón on August 13, with outages lasting from roughly 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. in affected zones.

The initial hearing in the fraud and money laundering case against former president Juan Orlando Hernández was set to begin at 9 a.m. Wednesday, according to judiciary spokesman Carlos Silva.

A Liberal Party congresswoman introduced an electoral-reform bill that would hold presidential elections and congressional–municipal elections on separate dates.

The documentary "He Calls Me His Daughter" arrives in Honduran cinemas on August 15, featuring testimonies from women about strength, identity, and transformation, with accompanying forums and discussions nationwide.

Congress approved 54 contracts to build and improve synthetic soccer fields across Honduras, including projects in Tegucigalpa neighborhoods and towns in Comayagua, Colón, Santa Bárbara, and Choluteca.

The FIFA World Cup 2026 generated an estimated L400 million (roughly $16 million) in economic activity in Honduras through increased consumer spending on tickets, apparel, restaurants, bars, and air travel to match venues.

The agricultural marketing institute reports Honduras holds 120,000 quintals (about 5,400 metric tons) of beans and 76,000 quintals (about 3,400 metric tons) of corn in strategic reserves, with new harvests expected in 20 days and a 25% discount on basic grains coming through state-run stores.

Honduras has recorded 7,151 dengue cases through epidemiological week 31, with three women reported dead from the disease, two in Choluteca and one in Olancho.

A Liberal congressman from Yoro has introduced a bill to establish a permanent climate-resilience fund for Honduras's farm and livestock sector, aimed at funding water infrastructure, emergency response, and productivity support amid prolonged drought and extreme weather affecting rural areas.

Officials met with African palm producers and industrialists to address environmental compliance, labor standards, and EU market access, with sector leaders reporting satisfaction with the government's support for expanding international sales.

A congressman from Partido Libre introduced a bill in Congress to create a law recognizing, protecting, and ensuring the dignity of Honduras's LGTBIQ+ population.

Goalkeeper and captain Édrick Menjívar, attackers Michaell Chirinos and Yustin Arboleda, and Jorge Benguché and Edwin Rodríguez all see their Olimpia contracts expire in December 2026, leaving the club's leadership key renewal decisions.

More than half of the Liberal Party's congressional members oppose energy-sector reforms being pushed by the party's legislative leader, Jorge Cálix, with lawmakers citing concerns that the proposal lacks popular support and needs deeper analysis.

Congress's Health Commission will visit public hospitals to track implementation of a six-month-old emergency health decree and will work with the Health Ministry, national university, and social-security institute to create new medical-specialty training positions and review physician scholarship rates.

The National Hurricane Center is monitoring three Atlantic systems, with a low-pressure zone southwest of Cape Verde having a 70% chance of developing into a tropical cyclone within seven days, though it poses no immediate threat to Honduras.

Consumer-protection group Fundación Artículo 19 puts the monthly basic food basket for a five-person household at over L16,000 (about $640), far above the government's figure of roughly L8,600.

Congress will weigh competing plans to reorganize the state power utility into separate generation, transmission, and distribution units, with the Liberal Party and the government differing on asset ownership, debt responsibility, and long-term contracts.

Honduras's two-month vehicle amnesty program, which waives penalties and interest on registration debt from 2025 or earlier, expires on August 25, allowing owners to settle arrears or arrange payment plans of up to 12 months without added fines.

Lawmakers remain divided on proposed reforms to Honduras's state electric utility, with some demanding modifications or deletions to specific articles and disagreement over whether modernization requires privatization.

Honduras will experience mostly dry and stable weather on August 12, with weak scattered showers possible only in the western, central, and northern regions from tropical remnants, according to the national meteorological office.

A tropical wave will enter Honduras on Tuesday, bringing rainfall to multiple regions of the country, Copeco forecasters say.