National News

José Enrique Santos, a former head of consumer protection, says he finds the government's plan to deregulate prices on basic-basket items highly damaging to ordinary Hondurans.

The Public Prosecutor's Office is accepting applications for assistant prosecutor positions from October 26–30, 2026, requiring Honduran citizenship, a law degree, bar membership, and no criminal conviction.

Honduras's ongoing medical-service crisis, now in its 47th day of physician work stoppages, prompted a lawyer representing affected patients to file a complaint with prosecutors alleging violations of citizens' right to healthcare, while acknowledging doctors' legitimate wage grievances.

Alberto Cruz, president of Congress's Labor Commission, said the chamber has not formally received a proposal to reform Honduras's part-time employment law, though he reaffirmed the commission's openness to suggestions from business and unions that do not violate national law or international labor treaties.

Honduras's Attorney General inaugurated a virtual classroom for the Prosecutor's Office training school to provide equal access to continuing education for prosecutors nationwide, with initial courses on ethics and electoral crimes.

More than 24,000 students enrolled in Honduras's public schools have abandoned their studies this year, many after their families were forced to migrate internally due to a severe drought that devastated subsistence farming livelihoods.

Foreign direct investment in Honduras reached $675.8 million in the first half of 2026, up 67.4% year-on-year, according to COHEP's October economic bulletin, which also shows 4.4% GDP growth and 6.28% annual inflation.

The Finance Ministry paid 255.2 million lempiras (about $10.2 million) in severance to 1,353 employees from 16 closed public agencies as part of a government restructuring, with Finance Secretary Emilio Hernández Hércules saying the closures removed redundant positions without significantly impacting the budget.

Honduras's Supreme Court has recommended that Congress reinstate the Effective Collaboration Law, a mechanism allowing prosecutors to work with organized-crime figures to dismantle criminal structures and reach higher-level leaders with verifiable evidence.

Hospital María's Little Hearts program has provided heart surgery to over 120 Honduran children with congenital heart defects over its first year and will continue for a second year, supported by international specialists and medical brigades that also train local physicians.

Prosecutors filed opposition to a court order that would release Óscar Ramírez Melgar, accused of killing law student María Fernanda Alemán in February 2025, arguing that pretrial detention is legally required and that his release poses a risk to witnesses and the victim's family.

Honduras's government negotiated with producers and retailers to reduce a planned egg-carton price increase from 20 to 8 lempiras, while Banasupro will hold its medium carton at L95; rising feed and fuel costs continue to pressure the poultry sector.

Honduras's Supreme Court of Justice released its institutional opinion on three pending legislative proposals: the Safe Home bill and reforms to the Penal Code and Criminal Procedure Code, offering the judiciary's assessment for Congress's consideration.

The Central Bank of Honduras auctioned $87.2 million on October 22, setting the weighted average exchange rate at L26.8956 per dollar for October 23.

Sweden's development agency SIDA will provide approximately €270,000 (about $295,000) in humanitarian assistance to Honduran communities affected by drought.

National Police arrested multiple suspected members of MS-13 and Pandilla 18 across Honduras during coordinated operations that yielded firearms, over 300 pounds of marijuana, and other evidence linked to drug trafficking and extortion.

ENEE will cut power across multiple zones in Tegucigalpa, San Pedro Sula, and Colón on October 23 for maintenance, with blackouts lasting between four and eight hours in each affected area.

Legal professionals debated proposed criminal-justice measures aimed at gang violence, warning that harsher penalties without solid investigations risk wrongful arrests and citing concerns that tattoos should not serve as evidence.

Congress President Tomás Zambrano announced plans to push through legal reforms allowing gang tattoos—those linked to MS-13 and Pandilla 18—to serve as sufficient grounds for prosecution, arguing the measure targets only criminal members and would help overcome witness intimidation in high-crime areas.

The STENEE electrical workers' union says the International Monetary Fund's evaluation of Honduras should build on the recent power-sector reform law, which the union argues removed legal barriers to needed institutional investment and allowed ENEE to establish internal oversight and a structured loss-reduction plan.

The National Congress's Education Commission met with teacher representatives to discuss their demands for salary increases exceeding 3,000 lempiras (about $120) and continued social-security access after retirement, with the commission pledging to explore options with the Finance Ministry and presidency.

Former Finance Minister Christian Duarte cautioned that the proposed 2027 budget cuts productive investment by 8 billion lempiras (about $320 million) while raising payroll spending, risking economic harm for Hondurans.

An estimated 80% of Honduran farmers operate outside the formal economy, leaving them unable to access regulated credit and forcing many to rely on informal lenders at unfavorable rates, a business leader says.

Honduras is defending 12 cases before the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) representing about $4.2 billion in claims, with the largest being Honduras Próspera's $1.6 billion lawsuit following the government's cancellation of the special economic zone regime.

Samuel Santos, president of the Medical College of Honduras, testified before prosecutors about a complaint over suspended medical services during the ongoing physician strike over unpaid wages, as the dispute continues to block public healthcare.

Pharmacists report that unvetted medications lacking health authority registration are potentially circulating through Honduras pharmacies and labs under an emergency decree allowing direct government purchases, posing a public health risk.

Honduras's bakers say production costs have risen 30% due to higher prices for flour, shortening, fuel, and electricity, and may raise bread prices starting in November to preserve product quality.

Honduras received $10.1 billion in family remittances in the first nine months of 2026, a 11.2% increase from the same period in 2025, with the funds representing over a quarter of the country's GDP and the primary source of foreign currency.

Olimpia has accumulated 934 under-20 minutes through ten matches, far exceeding the Liga Nacional's reduced requirement of 540 minutes for the 2026–27 season, while three clubs risk point deductions for falling short.

Infrastructure Minister Aníbal Ehrler announced that the government will remove or modify improperly installed speed bumps nationwide following a safety audit, with new regulations to follow within 180 days.