National News

Congressman Yuri Sabas criticized the government's energy-reform bill for lacking substantive changes, warning that ENEE could become as hollowed-out as the failed state telecom Hondutel despite holding valuable assets like major dams.

Adalid Irías, president of a consumer-advocacy group (Defco), called on Honduras's consumer-protection office to meet with producers to identify causes of recent food-price increases, citing eggs rising 6 lempiras (about $0.24) per carton and other staples climbing 3–4 lempiras, partly attributed to drought and higher livestock-feed costs.

Motagua leads Group D with six points in the Copa Centroamericana and can secure a quarterfinals berth with a win over Costa Rica's Cartaginés on Wednesday; Marathón plays Antigua on Thursday seeking to advance, while Olimpia rests.

Honduras's Health Ministry is requiring sanitary licenses for used-clothing retailers, barbershops, and beauty salons nationwide after complaints of allergic reactions, with business owners given just three days to comply.

José Castañeda, president of Honduras's small and medium enterprise federation, argues that weak domestic production and outdated economic policies—not Chinese immigrants—are the real obstacles to Honduran competitiveness, as Congress investigates the entry of approximately 13,000 Asian citizens since 2022.

An internal investigation into Honduras's judiciary is examining whether a former secretary general improperly influenced the assignment of appeals courts handling high-impact cases, including one against former Deputy Nelson Márquez, now a vice minister.

A member of Congress receives approximately L140,000 (about $5,600) per month in salary and mobility allowances, more than nine times Honduras's average 2026 minimum wage, with additional payments for leadership roles.

Congress will convene a food security summit on August 18 to address a severe drought affecting 75 municipalities, aiming to build long-term legal and financial solutions for the crisis.

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) raised an epidemic alert as measles cases across the Americas reached 47,459 in the first 28 weeks of 2026—more than eight times the 5,123 cases in the same period of 2025—with Honduras confirming 13 cases, primarily in Cortés and the Bay Islands.

Honduras's currency depreciated to near L27 per dollar as of early August, prompting economists to warn of pressure on import prices while the Central Bank says the decline is moderate and driven by normal supply-and-demand forces.

To ease drought-driven price pressure, the government is releasing 120,000 quintals (about 5,400 metric tons) of beans from state reserves at L18 per pound (about $0.72) through Banasupro, with a 25-pound limit per person.

A tropical wave and elevated Sahara dust concentrations will bring weak-to-moderate rainfall and electrical activity across Honduras August 10–16, with peak dust levels on Monday declining through the week.

Congress approved a motion on July 28 requesting information from the Public Ministry and police on complaints of sexual assault, harassment, and rape of minors in Honduran schools, citing multiple cases under investigation in 2026.

A pediatrician explains that 'culucos'—clumps of fine newborn hair mixed with breast milk on a baby's back—are a cultural myth unrelated to infant crying or colic, and warns that attempting to remove them manually or with irritating substances risks skin injury and infection.

Former Attorney General Johel Zelaya confirmed the Constitutional Court unanimously admitted his legal challenge to his removal through congressional impeachment, and said he will pursue the case at international human-rights bodies including the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights if domestic remedies fail.

Liberal Party congressman Carlos Umaña questioned whether the Asfura government negotiated lower surgical prices as required by an emergency health decree, alleging that 145 procedures totaling over L10.3 million (about $412,000) were overpriced compared to private-market rates.

Honduras's Results Management Directorate (DIGER) and the Supreme Court of Accounts (TSC) have signed a cooperation agreement to establish rules and procedures for implementing advanced digital signatures in government, part of a broader digital transformation of public-resource management.

Honduras's part-time employment law, which promised to generate opportunities since March 2026, has produced only 206 contracts across 43 companies, while restaurants and small businesses across the country announce closures, blamed partly on rising electricity costs.

Midfielder Jorge Álvarez, sidelined since late June with an injury, has received medical clearance and is expected to make his season debut in Olimpia's matchday 3 clash against rival Motagua.

Honduras's Constitutional Court admitted petitions filed by former Prosecutor General Johel Zelaya and former Electoral Tribunal magistrate Mario Morazán challenging their removal from office by congressional impeachment, though it declined to suspend either dismissal while the cases proceed.

The Liberal Party caucus presented a counterproposal to the government's energy-reform law, saying it includes legal safeguards and structural guarantees to benefit Hondurans while preventing what lawmakers call privatization risks to state utility ENEE.

Christian Duarte, a former Finance Ministry official, linked budget cuts by the Asfura administration to a food crisis affecting 1.8 million Hondurans, citing reductions in agricultural programs, forestry protection, farm credit, and water infrastructure.

Liberal and National Party lawmakers said they are close to agreement on energy reforms to modernize the electric system and rescue the troubled state utility ENEE, with key protections for public assets including hydroelectric dams.

Gabriela Castellanos, director of Honduras's National Anti-Corruption Council, said tolerance for intimidation of public officials threatens rule of law, citing the Attorney General's complaint that former president Juan Orlando Hernández confronted prosecutors during a court hearing.

Lawmakers from the Libre party have proposed a new technical secondary program in sustainable tourism, to be rolled out starting in 2027 in tourism-focused regions, aiming to train students in destination management, ecotourism, and visitor services.

Volcafe in Honduras recognized producers across seven quality categories and renewed purchase-guarantee agreements with thousands of coffee farmers, emphasizing farm management and sustainability practices that boost profitability and market access to the US and Asia.

Honduras's Congress will create a multiparty special commission to investigate the entry and whereabouts of roughly 15,000 Chinese nationals who entered the country between 2022 and 2025, amid gaps in migration records.

Honduras is launching psychiatric care teams in prisons to identify, diagnose, and treat inmates with mental-health disorders, marking the first such coordinated initiative between the Health Ministry and the penitentiary system.

Honduran farmers are preparing to sell approximately 600,000 quintals (about 27,000 metric tons) of red beans from the first harvest cycle, which officials say has been delayed by late rains and variable weather.

A tropical wave will bring rain to western Honduras on Tuesday, August 11, but forecasters say the precipitation will be insufficient to relieve the water emergency affecting Tegucigalpa and other regions.