National News

The Public Works Secretariat (SIP) is purchasing machinery and equipment worth L4.8 billion (about $178 million) to strengthen local municipalities' road maintenance capacity nationwide, including GPS systems, maintenance guarantees, and operator training for tertiary road networks.

Engineer Dulio Medina warned Honduras faces a food crisis without a clear agricultural strategy, citing low valley output and rural farming deficits.

Honduras's banks continue attracting private-sector deposits, driven by economic activity, family remittances, and export performance, the central bank reports.

Human-rights defender Itmania Platero calls on the US president to temporarily reinstate Temporary Protected Status for Hondurans, citing rising crime and persistent poverty, while warning that Honduras lacks capacity to help those who would return if the program ends.

Honduras executed only 33.4% of its national budget in the first half of 2026, a shortfall economists attribute to Congress's late April approval, which delayed state investment in health, education, and infrastructure.

Eduardo Bennaton, president of Honduras's renewable-energy association, says rising electricity tariffs reflect dependence on imported inputs and is pressing lawmakers to approve reforms that would help bring renewable investments and energy independence to Honduras.

Engineer Dulio Medina cautioned that water access is worsening nationwide, particularly in Tegucigalpa and the southern region, where he says saltwater intrusion from the Pacific is contaminating wells and threatening agriculture and livestock, and urged the government to declare an emergency and deploy pumping systems to tap surface sources.

The president of the IHSS physicians' association reports that Honduras's main public hospital remains in severe decay despite a three-month emergency decree, with persistent shortages of surgeons, staff, medicines, and functioning laundry services.

Honduras's net international reserves have accumulated $1.346 billion since January 27, with import coverage rising to 6.7 months, according to the central bank.

A JP Morgan Chase report ranks Honduras among Latin America's lowest-risk countries for investment, but economists say Honduras must improve public services and compete for capital to capitalize on the rating.

Feminist and labor organizations are urging Congress to ratify two International Labour Organization conventions that would guarantee domestic workers access to social security, regulated hours, fair wages, paid leave, and protections against violence and discrimination.

Juliette Handal, former president of Honduras's main business council (Cohep), attributed a first-quarter decline in investment to security concerns, including gang violence and massacres, rising energy costs (set to jump 12%), and international supply-chain disruptions, all of which she said undermine investor confidence.

Foreign Minister Mireya Agüero said the government remains committed to supporting the roughly 55,000 Hondurans with Temporary Protected Status as a federal appeals court reviews the US Department of Homeland Security's termination of the program.

Finance Minister Emilio Hércules said reducing an electricity rate hike requires a large fiscal cost to the state, since the tariff increase was originally set at 21.5%.

The National Road and Transport Authority (DNVT) says it has supplies to issue physical driver's licenses and is resuming all renewal and new-license processing; people who received only a digital receipt in prior months can now claim their cards at any DNVT office.

The Education Ministry is offering 100 partial scholarships to Honduran teachers and professionals seeking training in leadership, management, and professional development through the Business School Education Format program, with applications due by February 28, 2027.

Seven domestic and international firms have entered the auction for Honduras's presidential aircraft, with the public sale scheduled for July 10.

Engineer Dulio Medina cautioned that Honduras faces a possible shortage of beans and other staple grains after drought and planting failures in Olancho and El Paraíso reduced crop supply for coming weeks.

Honduras's Energy Ministry announced another price cut for the week of July 6–12, extending six weeks of consecutive fuel reductions that have lowered some petroleum products by more than 15 lempiras total.

The Central Bank of Honduras auctioned $81.5 million in a foreign-exchange sale on July 3, setting the average exchange rate at L26.7414 per dollar for July 4–6.

The Hermano Lejano Foundation is guiding Hondurans over 60 through US visitor-visa applications to legally reunite with children living abroad.

Environmental organizations and indigenous leaders are demanding transparency in an oil contract signed for Honduras's Caribbean region, citing undisclosed terms they say harm local communities.

The Central Bank of Honduras kept its policy rate (TPM) at 5.75%, with interbank and central bank window rates aligned to that benchmark.

The president of Honduras's renewable energy association says the recent electricity rate increase stems from global fuel prices rather than non-renewable generators, and calls for greater investment in clean energy to reduce dependence on imported fuel.

Honduras's emergency agency announced humanitarian assistance for about 75 municipalities hit by drought and delayed rains, with food distribution starting in late July, targeting the hardest-hit zones in the Dry Corridor.

A consumer-defender monitoring shows nine of eleven staple products increased in price over the past week, led by beans and eggs, while only two items fell, prompting authorities to watch for speculation.

Rafael Medina, former head of Tegucigalpa's Chamber of Commerce, urged oil companies and transporters to pass falling global fuel prices to consumers quickly, noting that inflation jumped nearly 1.5 percentage points above year-ago levels partly because of earlier fuel-cost increases.

Honduras is offering a tax amnesty for registered cars, motorcycles, and other vehicles that allows owners to settle overdue payments quickly and with fewer bureaucratic hurdles.

A man accused of sexually abusing his young daughter was ordered held in pretrial detention, while the child's aunt is being prosecuted for failing to report the abuse.

A tropical wave will enter Honduras on Sunday, bringing nationwide rainfall and electrical activity through Monday and offering relief from extreme heat and drought conditions affecting agriculture.