National News

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.

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.

Honduras's National Directorate of Roads and Transport announced it will prevent over 325,000 drivers with unpaid traffic fines from accessing public services, including police clearances and gun permits, and is considering reporting them to the national credit-risk registry.

The government will begin delivering heavy machinery—part of a L3.5 billion (about $140 million) purchase—to all 298 municipalities in August to help local governments maintain rural roads and respond faster to weather-related emergencies.

A petroleum-industry analyst predicts diesel and gasoline prices in Honduras will drop modestly over the next four to six weeks as global crude stabilizes around $67 a barrel, with diesel potentially falling about 2 lempiras per gallon.

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.

About 400,000 subscribers of Honduras's state electricity company ENEE owe more than L12.5 billion (roughly $500 million) in unpaid bills, according to the utility.

Consumer advocates project that adjustments to electricity tariffs will increase the price of Honduras's basic food basket by about 800 lempiras (roughly $32).

Deputy Prosecutor Marcio Cabañas Cadillo received a L54,600 salary increase in May 2026, raising his monthly earnings to L309,637, while lower-ranking prosecutors and detectives earn a fraction of that amount.

The Central Bank of Honduras auctioned $86.5 million in a foreign-exchange sale on July 2, establishing a weighted average exchange rate of 26.7397 lempiras per dollar for July 3.

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.

Between January 2019 and mid-June 2026, Honduras recorded 2,904 homicides of women, averaging over 360 deaths per year, with Cortés and Francisco Morazán departments accounting for 37% of cases.

Honduras exported 6.66 million bags of coffee worth $2.11 billion from October 2025 through July 1, 2026—a 23% jump in volume and 12% gain in revenue over the same period a year earlier, driven by larger harvests despite lower global prices.

Arístides Aceituno Calderón, founder of Hondudiario.com and a respected figure in Honduran journalism who served as an adviser to the presidential office, died at 67 following complications from surgery.

Honduras's nursing association is warning it will hold informational assemblies if the Health Ministry does not reinstate about 100 fired nurses, pay overdue benefits, and establish a promised technical committee to address grievances.

The Education Ministry reported that 16.4% of Honduras's 22,581 public schools—3,714 facilities—require immediate infrastructure repairs, with most located in rural areas and damaged by weather and decay.

COCINH-LAB Honduras announced it is ending operations after the Asfura administration declined to continue the project — a priority under the Castro government — with COCINH-LAB saying public statements by officials indicate that domestic drug production is not a current priority and that resources must be directed toward other areas.

Honduras has spent only 34% of its 444-billion-lempira (about $16.8 billion) 2026 budget through June, with economists attributing the lag to late congressional approval and urging faster execution in priority areas like health, education, and productive investment.

Honduras's National Migration Institute registered 4,917 foreign nationals passing through the country in transit between January and June 25, 2026, marking a decline in irregular migration flows.

Margarita Melgar, facing a choice between indefinite detention and voluntary departure, left Boston with her 10-year-old US-citizen daughter Katherin and returned to Honduras, leaving behind her daughters aged 17 and 20 while her attorney pursues a pending immigration appeal.