National News

Tropical Storm Cristina weakened to a tropical depression but continues to threaten Central America with heavy rainfall, high surf, and flooding alerts; Costa Rica reported five people missing after two boats capsized off Guanacaste.

Honduras's infrastructure ministry is accepting bids for a L 1.2 billion (approximately $48 million) project to maintain over 3,100 kilometers of unpaved roads nationwide.

Dante Mossi, former president of the Central American Bank for Economic Integration, criticized a proposed reform excluding bonuses from income-tax calculations, warning it could enable employers to reclassify wages as tax-free bonuses and erode government revenue.

Two days after approving the Agroindustrial Protection Law, Congress modified it outside normal legislative procedure to extend tax and permitting benefits to energy and tourism sectors, a move critics say violates parliamentary rules and threatens indigenous and Garífuna lands.

Tropical Depression Cristina weakened from a tropical storm on Wednesday but officials warn it could strengthen again as it continues to drench Central America with heavy rainfall.

Former Central American Bank president Dante Mossi cautioned that a proposed reform to exclude bonuses from income tax (ISR) calculations would create tax-evasion opportunities and reduce government revenue, reversing two decades of IMF-backed reforms.

A bill introduced in Congress by lawmaker Johana Bermúdez would guarantee free, non-discriminatory medical care, confidentiality, and social support for Hondurans living with HIV while obligating the state to ensure continuous antiretroviral drug access.

Honduras's National Congress announced agreements to return about 30 seized VIP taxis, suspend penalties from transport authorities, and establish a regulatory framework allowing VIP and digital-platform cabs to operate alongside traditional taxis, ending a conflict that had threatened further protests.

Tradable goods prices in Honduras increased 0.81% month-over-month in May, driven by external shocks from geopolitical factors that pushed up fuel prices.

The Central Bank of Honduras expressed deep condolences over the death of Daniel Alfredo Figueroa, who served as vice president of the institution.

Honduras has launched a 1.2 billion lempira (approximately $48 million USD) infrastructure project to rehabilitate over 3,100 kilometers of secondary and tertiary roads across all 18 departments, aiming to maintain rural connectivity and protect agricultural corridors year-round.

Honduras's business council endorsed the government's proposed energy reforms but called for stronger legal protections, independent regulators, and a phased breakup of the state utility ENEE to reduce technical losses and attract investment.

Honduras has logged 3,823 suspected dengue cases through early June, with 66 hospitalizations and children under 15 the hardest-hit group, as health authorities urge residents to eliminate mosquito breeding sites during the rainy season.

Congress President Tomás Zambrano has urged the Supreme Court to reconsider Memorandum 02-2026, which requires judges to record defendants' self-identified gender and chosen names in criminal proceedings, saying the judicial directive has sparked strong opposition from religious groups and pro-life advocates.

Over 14,100 manzanas of land in coastal Cortés and Atlántida are disputed by invasions that advocacy groups say cost the economy roughly $15 million a month and deter foreign investment.

Honduras and the European Union signed a five-year, €6 million ($6.9 million) agreement to boost private-sector partnerships and sustainable investments, with aims to improve competitiveness, create jobs, and strengthen regulatory frameworks while emphasizing digital transformation and inclusion of women and youth.

Honduras has recorded approximately 850 traffic fatalities through early June 2026, up 22 deaths from the same period last year, prompting authorities to pursue new prevention strategies focused on driver behavior, road infrastructure, vehicle safety, and victim care.

Congresswoman Dunia Jiménez (Libre, Cortés) has proposed exempting mortgages and small-business loans from Honduras's Tasa de Seguridad Poblacional, a fee she says raises borrowing costs and blocks access to credit for entrepreneurs and homebuyers.

Honduran armed forces report inflicting L324 million (roughly $13 million) in losses on drug trafficking networks so far in 2026 through crop destruction, lab dismantling, and seizures of cocaine, weapons, and vehicles, even as criminal groups shift routes and rebuild.

Honduras police arrested more than 183 people in early 2026 on domestic violence reports, with authorities warning that untreated patterns of repetitive abuse can escalate to homicide or femicide.

A decree proposal would gradually increase annual budget allocation to Andepcih, the national association for blind Hondurans, to 2 million lempiras (roughly $80,000) by 2027 and maintain it permanently thereafter.

Honduras's Supreme Court president Wagner Vallecillo Paredes delivered a proposed law on the Judicial Council and judicial careers to Congress's Constitutional Affairs Commission, unanimously approved by the court's full bench and representing input from judges and court employees.

The Association for a More Just Society (ASJ) reported that over L113 million (approximately $4.5 million USD) in state funds were transferred to a nonprofit during the previous administration through contracts that allegedly bypassed public-bidding requirements, with 90% of the agreements operating outside legal frameworks.

Congressman Frank Alley introduced a proposal to amend consumer-protection law requiring landlords, vehicle-rental companies, and private schools to charge in lempiras rather than dollars, arguing that these sectors do not require foreign-currency operations and that dollar pricing inflates costs for consumers.

President Asfura's government and the Medical College of Honduras agreed on a new salary scale, reinstatement of separated physicians, and improved benefits for health-sector workers, ending the physicians' nationwide informational assemblies.

The Asfura administration and the Inter-American Development Bank agreed to establish a technical working group to pilot an AI platform designed to identify regulatory duplications, excessive procedures, and inefficiencies across Honduran public institutions.

The Honduran business chamber (CIMEQH) called for a halt to a proposed electric-sector reform, citing risks that the legislation could drive up utility rates and lead to privatization of public power assets.

Honduras's Public Ministry is investigating whether campaign funds from former Liberal presidential candidate Salvador Nasralla were illegally diverted to foreign accounts, allegations Nasralla denies as political persecution.

The Central Bank reported private-sector savings surpassed 681.7 billion lempiras as of late May 2026, up 13.9% year-over-year, driven primarily by household deposits and growing confidence in the financial system.

Honduras's business council submitted proposals to modernize electricity regulations under review by Congress, urging independent regulators and stable rules to strengthen the grid and attract investment.