National News

The opposition Partido Libre warns that proposed reforms to Honduras's electrical system would lead to the privatization of the state utility ENEE and threaten its existence.

The Institute of Property is printing 3.5 million new vehicle registration documents in 2026 with QR codes, unique serial numbers, watermarks, and two additional security measures to prevent forgery and ease verification by traffic authorities.

Honduras's banking system credit portfolio growth decelerated to 8% year-over-year in April 2026 from over 17% a year earlier, driven by lower interest rates, inflation pressuring household incomes, and weak demand for business and consumer loans despite improved bank liquidity.

Isidro Rodríguez, a Honduran who entered the US on a humanitarian visa in 2015, was deported in June after undergoing open-heart surgery while in ICE custody; he returned to Honduras in a wheelchair and remains in recovery, while his family explores legal options for his return.

Officials from Honduras and Japan met at the presidential palace to discuss improving drinking water supply to the Central District and advancing a planned bypass road in Puerto Cortés, as part of broader cooperation on infrastructure and development.

Official data shows 984 Hondurans were deported between June 15–19, averaging 140 per day, as the country records 22,397 deportations so far in 2026, with the International Organization for Migration reporting a 43.3% increase in returns compared to the same period in 2025.

The director of ENEE's social development fund announced a goal of 500 rural electrification projects nationwide in 2026, with more than 60 already profiled for contracting to reach communities the official said have been neglected for years.

The Central Bank auctioned $93.8 million in foreign currency on June 24, setting the weighted average exchange rate at L26.7170 per dollar for June 25.

A judge ordered Marvin Ramón Salgado held in pretrial detention on charges of animal cruelty and violence against women and threats allegedly targeting two women, with his initial hearing set for June 29.

Mario Hung, representing Honduras's Chinese Descendants Association, defended Asian-owned businesses operating in Honduras as legal and tax-compliant, countering a recent Congressional motion to supervise and regulate them.

Honduras's state food-supply agency Banasupro began a three-month program on June 24 to hold basic food prices steady and offer discounts of up to 10% through partnerships with private suppliers across its 121 nationwide stores.

A legislative committee is analyzing a fuel-price stabilization fund, to be financed by the government, importers, distributors, and possibly consumers, that would cushion price spikes for Hondurans when global oil costs rise.

A new report on Honduras's territorial conflicts argues they stem from deep inequality in land access and resource control rather than security issues, rooted in unresolved agrarian reform and indigenous land-rights disputes.

Honduras's Supreme Court of Justice approved a 7% salary increase for all judicial employees—permanent, interim, and contract workers—effective in August, benefiting roughly 6,000 staff after the Finance Ministry transferred pending budget allocations.

The CNBS Gender Gap Report 2025 shows men hold more bank accounts per capita in Honduras's high-activity economic regions, while women show higher financial participation in rural areas and the country's western region.

Honduras's tax authority (SAR) reminds taxpayers that June 30 is the deadline to pay the first installment of estimated quarterly taxes, with payment available online to avoid penalties.

A civil-society watchdog warns that the Asfura administration is advancing laws that criminalize peasant and indigenous land claims while protecting agribusiness interests, citing passage of a sweeping anti-terrorism statute, an agroindustrial-protection law, and a self-defense expansion tied to property defense.

The Central Bank of Honduras auctioned $106.2 million in its daily currency offering on June 23, setting the weighted average exchange rate at L26.7190 per dollar for June 24.

Honduras has confirmed 4,605 suspected dengue cases this year, including 76 severe cases and one death, as rainy season conditions accelerate transmission of the mosquito-borne virus, with health officials urging immediate medical attention for fever and other symptoms.

A tropical wave moving into Honduras on Friday will end a dry spell with nationwide rainfall, with forecasters projecting up to 30 millimeters (about 1.2 inches) in eastern and western regions.

Agricultural leaders recommend Honduran smallholder farmers postpone planting until at least September due to a prolonged dry season and a forecast 40% rainfall deficit linked to a strong El Niño pattern, which threatens six drought-vulnerable departments.

The full bench of Honduras's Supreme Court will decide a constitutional appeal filed by retired General Romeo Vásquez Velásquez, after the Constitutional Chamber failed to reach unanimous agreement on the case filed in January 2025; his defense hopes for a favorable ruling that would overturn an arrest warrant against him.

Starting June 25, Honduras will no longer require travelers departing the country to show proof of measles vaccination, though health officials continue to recommend the vaccine two weeks before travel given ongoing regional transmission.

Five months into President Asfura's administration, relations between the government and the Medical Association of Honduras have deteriorated over disputes about hospital care, medication theft accusations, and payment protests, with analysts warning of a deepening health-system crisis affecting patients.

Honduras's weather service warns of heavy rainfall across the country as a tropical wave is expected to arrive imminently.

Honduras inaugurated the UN-backed International Year of Women Farmers 2026 to recognize rural women's role in food production and address gaps in their access to land, credit, and technology, with data showing only 12% own land and 70% lack formal bank credit.

Honduras's mental-health system is collapsing, with the country's only acute psychiatric hospital receiving 15–20 patients daily and fewer than 70 psychiatrists nationwide, while stigma, lack of prevention, and insufficient public services leave most conditions untreated.

The Supreme Court's full bench approved a draft law creating a Judicial Council and establishing a judicial career system, proposals aimed at reforming Honduras's court structure and judicial personnel management.

Congress says it has secured the 65 votes needed to approve electricity-sector reforms aimed at modernizing the system and addressing ENEE's mounting losses—about 1.5 billion lempiras monthly—while rejecting opposition claims the measures would privatize the state utility.

A report warns that 77 territorial conflicts, most described as high-intensity, remain active in Honduras amid what analysts characterize as a shift toward punitive government responses.