National News

The National Autonomous University of Honduras purchased a flight simulator to strengthen practical training for students in aviation operations and flight operations programs, with installation and staff training still pending.

Honduras's Family and Childhood Commission gathered judicial authorities, prosecutors, and human-rights defenders to weigh proposed reforms to the juvenile justice system, including lowering the age of criminal responsibility and increasing penalties for children under 18.

Honduras presented a 2026–2030 national plan to reduce workplace accidents and diseases, modernize safety standards, and expand protection especially for informal-sector workers, following an International Labour Organization diagnosis identifying coordination and coverage gaps.

Honduras's Supreme Court recommended that Congress respect due process and the presumption of innocence in proposed penal-code reforms, including maintaining conditional release for incarcerated people who provide information on criminal organizations and ensuring judicial and fiscal oversight during searches.

Following an IMF recommendation, Honduras's central bank will progressively reopen the interbank foreign-exchange market, allowing private banks to manage a portion of currency trading, with authorities still determining the initial percentage and success depending on exchange-rate stability.

A Fosdeh economist cautioned that Honduras's return to an interbank foreign-exchange market could enable dollar hoarding and price spikes unless the central bank imposes safeguards, noting that five financial institutions already control 80% of the country's currency trade.

The Honduran petroleum distributors' association forecasts price drops for gasoline and diesel in the coming weeks, citing declining international refined-fuel markets despite crude oil exceeding $100 per barrel.

The head of Honduras's national business association says fuel subsidies do not solve the country's vulnerability to global oil-price swings and calls for structural measures—better public transit, revised work schedules, and a long-term energy strategy—to reduce fuel consumption and protect the economy.

Honduras's commercial banks have kept lending and deposit rates unchanged despite the Central Bank raising its policy rate, according to a BCH statement.

Negotiations between Honduras's Medical College and the Health Ministry ended without agreement on settling salary arrears to 727 doctors (per the union) or 158 (per the ministry), leaving 45 days of informational assemblies and pressure campaigns unresolved.

Osman Chávez, a former two-time World Cup player turned congressman, said he faces only a usurpation-of-office allegation related to his work on Congress's Permanent Commission and called for press responsibility in coverage of his case.

CEUTEC student David Laitano and Wilfredo Hall launched DoctorYa, a digital platform enabling Hondurans to search for specialists by location, compare profiles, and read patient reviews before booking appointments; the service has registered over 900 appointment requests and 100 doctors since its July launch.

Former Attorney General Johel Zelaya called for investigations against him to be made public, saying he is prepared to face any proceedings if authorities choose to pursue them.

Honduras's agriculture, fishing, forestry, and livestock sector grew 4.8%, led by crops of coffee, bananas, and fruit, with additional gains from shrimp and tilapia fishing, livestock, and poultry.

Honduras is using cloud seeding to combat a devastating drought in Central America's Dry Corridor, intensified by El Niño and climate change, as the region seeks emergency measures to restore rainfall and protect crops.

Congressman José Jaar filed a motion urging the Infrastructure Ministry to work with the road concessionaire to improve signage and complete pending four-lane expansions on the CA-5 highway between Siguatepeque and San Pedro Sula.

Honduras's regulated financial system reported 8.06 million active deposit accounts at the end of 2025, expanding access to banking services and formal-sector participation for Hondurans.

Congress approved a measure to mark October 25 annually as Spina Bifida Prevention Day, aiming to raise awareness of a birth defect that affects an estimated 30–40 per 10,000 live births in Honduras and can be prevented with adequate folic acid intake during early pregnancy.

The US Embassy delivered water-storage tanks to 85 schools in Honduras's drought-stricken Dry Corridor region, aimed at improving water access as El Niño conditions persist.

Honduras's Constitutional Court admitted a legal challenge against former Prosecutor General Johel Zelaya and ordered the Public Ministry to provide documents within 24 hours regarding allegations he neglected his duties by not pursuing complaints against officials who acted during the 2025 post-election crisis.

Banco Ficohsa and Visa unveiled TapiYa, a mobile payment tool letting Honduran entrepreneurs and merchants accept real-time payments via card tap, QR code, or WhatsApp link without handling cash.

ENEE announced planned electricity cuts across eight departments on October 22 for maintenance work, with outage windows varying by zone throughout the day.

René Alfaro, a former ENEE administrator, says Honduras's energy reforms have not yet produced tangible results and warns that tying financing to five-year loss-reduction targets lacks technical clarity and could hamper the state power utility's recovery.

The National Congress passed first reading of sweeping reforms to Honduras's anti-money-laundering laws, introducing the first regulatory framework for cryptocurrency providers, tightening electronic-transfer controls, and raising the mandatory customs declaration threshold for cash to $15,000.

Liberal deputy Jorge Cálix, citing El Salvador's gang-control model, called for life sentences for minors convicted of serious crimes and urged Honduras to withdraw from international agreements he says prevent harsher juvenile penalties.

A congressional committee launched consultations with justice officials, human rights groups, and child welfare agencies on a proposal to lower the age of criminal responsibility and increase penalties for those under 18 in Honduras.

Congress unanimously approved a decree requiring all speed-reduction devices on Honduras's primary road network to obtain technical authorization from the Infrastructure and Transport Ministry and meet national standards, with noncompliant bumps to be replaced within 12 months.

A think tank analyzing Honduras's new energy law found that freezing electricity rates through March 2027 would cost about L6 billion (roughly $240 million), with the richest 10% of customers capturing 65% of the savings while low-income households receive only 9%.

President Nasry Asfura met with executives from Italian munitions maker Fiocchi to discuss establishing a manufacturing plant in Honduras that would supply both the domestic and Latin American defense and civilian markets.

Honduras allows criminal prosecution of adolescents as young as 12, one of the region's lowest thresholds; Congress is now debating raising penalties for juveniles and allowing 16- and 17-year-olds accused of serious crimes to face adult prosecution.