National News

Former president Juan Orlando Hernández's attorney said he will use technical consultants to refute money-laundering accusations at a hearing scheduled for August 3, when Hernández is set to appear before a judge.

Honduras's Supreme Court suspended the arrest warrant and international alert against former president Juan Orlando Hernández from July 20 to August 3, when a hearing on fraud and money-laundering charges is scheduled.

A Paradigma poll shows Eduardo Maldonado leading the Liberal primary with 55%, Tomás Zambrano favored in the National Party primary, and Rixi Moncada in the Free Honduras primary.

Honduras's emergency agency COPECO warns residents to take precautions as a mass of Saharan dust is forecast to arrive this weekend.

A relaunched national plan, backed by the government and tech firm KOLAU, will let more than 10,000 micro and small businesses create an AI-powered online store free in about one minute, officials say.

Analyst Henry Rodríguez says Honduras must invest approximately $4.2 billion annually to generate between 70,000 and 80,000 jobs per year.

Francia Medina, a former prosecutor found guilty of stealing more than 88 million lempiras (about $3.5 million) held as evidence in Central Bank vaults, had her sentencing hearing postponed.

Family remittances made up 52 cents of every dollar in Honduras's national income during the first half of 2026, while budget execution reached only 35 percent, according to the Finance Ministry.

A payroll review shows at least seven officials with family or close ties to BANADESA president Héctor Vidal Cerrato Zelaya were hired recently in key roles, earning a combined 462,316 lempiras (about $18,500) monthly, prompting nepotism allegations amid farmer complaints about financing access.

The National Congress is convened for an ordinary plenary session on Tuesday, June 30, at 4 p.m.

Honduras's Social Ministry is accepting applications through June 30 for a national scholarship program offering monthly stipends to about 8,000 university students (ages 17–40) pursuing undergraduate or graduate degrees, with a budget of 224 million lempiras (about $9 million).

Honduras's human-rights committee supports the government's electricity reforms but is pressing for legal guarantees that the state-owned national power utility will not be privatized and that benefits reach all sectors, as Congress prepares to vote on the overhaul this week.

Honduras's Central Bank issued a public alert about fraudulent websites, calls, and messages impersonating the institution to steal personal data and banking information, and warned against fake investment platforms falsely claiming official authorization.

From late March through early May 2026, Honduras paid an average of L65,000 (about $2,600) per operation to private clinics to reduce a backlog of more than 13,700 patients waiting for surgery in public hospitals, spending nearly L10 million in the first eight weeks.

President Nasry Asfura announced that medical brigades will begin Monday in Candelaria, Lempira, and expand to other rural communities, offering consultations and health services to residents who face long distances and high costs to reach hospitals in major cities.

Congressman and physician Carlos Umaña warned Hondurans that the Health Ministry has confirmed serotype 3 is now the dominant dengue strain, and those who previously contracted serotypes 1 or 2 face greater illness if infected with type 3.

With ENEE facing a daily loss exceeding L50 million (about $2 million) and an accumulated deficit of L120 billion, civil-society groups and small-business leaders are urging lawmakers to approve energy reforms that would restructure the state utility into separate generation, transmission, and distribution units.

Lawmakers will hold special sessions on June 30 and July 1 to debate and vote on government-backed reforms to restructure state utility ENEE, with Congress president Tomás Zambrano stressing that privatization is off the table.

Honduras's new Agro-Industrial Strengthening and Protection Law declares registered farmland, livestock, energy, and tourism properties legally protected against invasion or occupation, while exempting indigenous territories unless prior free-consent consultation is completed.

Honduras's basic food basket has risen more than 700 lempiras (about $28) since January, according to academic economists.

Alexander Godoy, a STENEE union representative, says a review of Honduras's electricity subsidy aims to ensure benefits reach only low-income families while eliminating aid to vacation homes and vacant properties, allowing state utility ENEE to strengthen its finances and reduce costs.

The European Union's ambassador said the bloc will provide Honduras with intelligence networks, training, and tools to strengthen border security and migration management while respecting human rights.

The legal representative of former President Juan Orlando Hernández has asked the Supreme Court to revoke the arrest warrant against him, arguing that Hernández is willing to voluntarily submit to judicial proceedings and poses no flight risk.

Copeco warns that Saharan dust will reach its highest concentration over Honduras on Sunday, with air-quality levels expected to remain moderate but potentially affecting people with respiratory conditions, the elderly, children, and pregnant women.

Drought, soaring prices for seeds and fertilizer, and limited access to credit are cutting production of Honduras's staple grains, corn and beans, officials warn.

Experts warn that the imminent end of Temporary Protected Status for Hondurans could force 30,000–35,000 returnees home by year's end, straining families and the economy as asylum restrictions tighten.

INTERPOL arrested two Honduran nationals who had been deported from the United States on suspicion of attempted murder and homicide.

The Cabinet declared a six-month health emergency nationwide after confirming H5 avian flu in wild birds and at a breeding farm in Santa Bárbara, while pledging to maintain priority investment projects.

Juan Orlando Hernández's lawyer announced the former president will return to Honduras on July 1 after years of extradition and imprisonment in the United States on drug-trafficking charges.

The Supreme Court of Justice suspended the arrest warrant against former president Juan Orlando Hernández, clearing his return to Honduras on July 31 to face fraud and money-laundering charges in the case known as Pandora II, with voluntary court appearance set for August 3.