Wednesday, June 17, 2026 — Evening Edition

Lawmakers approved three measures to maintain and expand broadband internet in public spaces, bolster the Alerta-HN emergency-alert system, and extend digital-inclusion services aimed at closing Honduras's technology gap.

The Libre party's congressional bloc has proposed a popular referendum to let Hondurans decide the future of ENEE, the state power utility.

A congressional energy commission is drafting reforms to modernize the state-owned utility ENEE by reorganizing its transmission, distribution, and billing operations, while ruling out privatization and pledging to protect workers' jobs.

A congressman has proposed replacing unanimity with a simple majority and easing quorum rules at Honduras's National Electoral Council and Electoral Court to break deadlocks, as vacancies and absences raise concerns about the institutions' stability.

Central Bank analysts project Honduras's economy will grow 3.6% in 2026 and 3.8% in 2027, within the range set by the 2026–2027 monetary program.

Jorge Hernández of the Social Forum on External Debt and Development says the International Monetary Fund has agreed to decouple talks on Honduras's beneficial-ownership law from other conditions, a break from past administrations that tied its approval to broader negotiations.

Analysts debated a new law meant to curb illegal land seizures in agribusiness and other key sectors, with supporters arguing it will draw investment by securing property rights, even as it raises questions about its impact on peasant land claims.

International oil prices have fallen to around $82 a barrel, but energy-sector representatives warn that fuel prices in Honduras could take four to six months to reflect the decline because of exchange rates, import costs, and other market factors.

Honduras's central bank forecasts year-over-year inflation of 4.98% by December 2026, easing into the bank's target range of 3.0% to 5.0% by May 2028.

Former Central American Bank president Dante Mossi says Honduras has approved no projects this year from a $1.6 billion (43 billion lempira) development portfolio offered by the regional bank, in contrast to Nicaragua and El Salvador, which are actively borrowing for infrastructure.

Finance Vice Minister Lilian Rivera said backing from international lenders for reforms at the state utility ENEE could open the door to future financing to strengthen and modernize Honduras's power sector.

The state utility ENEE will carry out scheduled maintenance and grid-strengthening work on June 18, causing outages of four to eight hours in parts of Francisco Morazán, Choluteca, Cortés, Santa Bárbara, and Colón.

Also reported by: Televicentro, Radio Cadena Voces (RCV)

The European Union will provide about 15 billion euros (roughly $16 billion) to finance the modernization of Honduras's electrical transmission lines.

The capital's water authority has shifted to once-weekly distribution for thousands of residents served by the Los Laureles and La Concepción reservoirs, which have dropped below 50% capacity, with July and August expected to be the most critical months.

Honduras's agricultural health authority has confirmed avian influenza in wild birds, particularly black vultures, and has collected about 450 dead birds while monitoring more than 150,000 backyard poultry in 90 communities to prevent the spread to domestic flocks.

Copán Ruinas will hold its tenth annual Guacamaya Fest from June 26 to 28, celebrating Honduras's macaw-conservation work and cultural heritage, with 12 red macaws set for release on June 28 as part of a decade-long effort that has freed more than 120 birds.

The U.S. Embassy is supporting a program that lets Hondurans over 60 with migrant children in the United States apply for legal visas to visit and reunite with their families.

Arelys Barahona-Martínez, the wife of a Honduran armed forces veteran, was arrested by US immigration authorities on June 10 during a routine check-in in Texas and transferred to ICE detention, separating the family.

Foreign Minister Mireya Agüero plans to meet the International Organization for Migration's global representative to discuss deportations from the US, rising political-asylum claims in Honduras, and other migration concerns facing the country.

Neptalí Gonzales Soler died after being struck by lightning while working in a cornfield in El Negrito, Yoro, the second person killed by lightning in Honduras in a week.

Michael Adolf Dixon Rivers, a Honduran drug trafficker who ran Caribbean shipping routes, was sentenced to 14 years in US federal prison in May 2022 after authorities intercepted about 3 metric tons of cocaine near Aruba in 2019, unraveling his international smuggling conspiracy.

A tractor-trailer struck a police bus on the Rodeo grade of the CA-5 highway Wednesday afternoon, killing several officers and injuring others, with the exact toll still unconfirmed.

Also reported by: El Heraldo, HCH

Police removed 18 illegally installed security cameras in San Pedro Sula neighborhoods that gangs used to track police operations and coordinate criminal activity.

Also reported by: Radio Cadena Voces (RCV)

A woman died after being hit by a vehicle on the CA-5 highway at El Pajonal as she tried to cross; the driver fled without offering aid, and authorities are investigating.