Friday, June 19, 2026

Congress unanimously passed the Financial Relief Law for Agricultural Producers, letting Banadesa and Senprende restructure and refinance overdue farm loans at a maximum 2% interest rate over 10 years, with the government using 100 million lempiras to subsidize 80% of crop-insurance premiums.

Congress begins a one-month recess on June 23 and returns July 24, but Congress President Tomás Zambrano said lawmakers can be called back at any time if an emergency or matter of national interest demands immediate action.

The US Embassy welcomed the Asfura government's push to overhaul Honduras's electricity law, saying the changes would draw US investment, spur economic growth, strengthen energy security, and give Hondurans more reliable, affordable power.

Congress unveiled an online platform that lets citizens track each lawmaker's voting record, proposed bills, committee assignments, and attendance — the first time such detailed legislative data has been public in Honduras's 44-year democratic era.

Tensions inside Honduras's Liberal Party have deepened as its executive council president and rival factions clash over financial transparency and accountability for money spent in the 2025 elections.

Honduras's human-rights ombudsman handled 17,334 complaints filed by women between 2021 and June 2026 — an average of nine a day — according to CONADEH's statistics unit.

Honduras and the Dominican Republic are weighing direct flights to San Pedro Sula and closer cooperation on tourism, trade, and investment to create jobs and growth in both countries.

The Central Bank of Honduras sold $79.9 million at its June 18 foreign-exchange auction, setting the average exchange rate at L26.7074 per dollar for June 19.

German business leaders met with President Nasry Asfura and Foreign Minister Mireya Agüero and announced plans for an official visit to Honduras within 12 months to explore closer economic ties and possible investments.

The congressional telecommunications committee approved a measure requiring cable and telecom companies to remove unused cables within 60 days or face fines of up to L250,000 (about $10,000).

Energy analyst Salomón Ordóñez says Honduras's state power utility needs roughly L50 billion (about $2 billion) to upgrade its distribution and transmission infrastructure, with private investment possible once electricity-sector reforms pass.

Honduras's National Autonomous University pushed its registration deadline for the PHUMA entrance exam to Friday, June 19, citing technical problems and network congestion that hit applicants the day before.

A tropical wave and weather troughs are expected to bring heavy rain and thunderstorms to Honduras in the coming days.

Also reported by: Radio Cadena Voces (X)

Argentine coach Héctor Vargas, a two-time Liga Nacional champion with Olimpia and Marathón, has been hired to lead CD Choloma as the club chases its first playoff berth since reaching the top flight.

A Honduran court ordered the Public Prosecutor's Office to return more than 60 assets to the retailer Mangys Store after its lawyers showed the goods were obtained lawfully and had no link to money laundering or other crimes.

Attorney Francisco Pascua filed complaints with Honduras's human-rights ombudsman and the National Police after his vehicle was broken into and items stolen, which he says is part of a pattern of surveillance and intimidation tied to his legal criticism of past government decisions.

A 40-year-old tow-truck driver from Choloma was handed over to prosecutors over a June 17 crash on Highway CA-5 that killed seven National Police officers and injured dozens when his truck lost control on a downhill grade, overturned, and struck a police bus.

Also reported by: Ministerio Público (X)

Police rescued a student held for ransom in Siguatepeque after kidnappers demanded 2 million lempiras (about $80,000) for his release.

The European Union will hold seminars on June 18 in San Pedro Sula and June 22 in Tegucigalpa to train journalists, academics, and civic leaders to spot and counter disinformation, AI-generated content, and foreign interference that threaten Honduras's information integrity and democracy.

Also reported by: Unión Europea en Honduras

Court officials said Honduras's Audit Court (TSC) has been ordered to investigate the tenures of two former Supreme Court presidents, Rebeca Ráquel and Rolando Argueta.

A transportation businessman says the electoral authority owes his company 37 million lempiras (about $1.5 million) for services during Honduras's primary elections, and that the delayed payment has pushed his business toward collapse.

Fake social media accounts tied to a pro–Partido Nacional news outlet have systematically posted comments attacking the credibility and impartiality of the independent expert group investigating her murder, borrowing legal jargon to discredit the panel's January 2026 findings.

Congress began a first reading of an 18-article bill to reorganize Honduras's electrical system, with stated aims of lowering costs, improving service, reducing blackouts, and keeping the state utility ENEE in public hands.

The Liberal Party's congressional bloc said it will not back a reform of the state power utility ENEE unless the proposal explicitly guarantees the company will not be privatized.

Honduras's joint military commander said the country is in talks with the United States about joint "combat operations" against organized crime under Trump's Americas Anti-Cartel Coalition, with the final decision resting with President Nasry Asfura.

Congress unanimously approved the Transparency and Centralized Beneficial-Owner Registry Law, which aims to identify the ultimate owners of legal entities and structures to fight money laundering, terrorism financing, corruption, and organized crime.

Also reported by: Radio Cadena Voces (X)

Honduras's private sector says chronic blackouts cause direct losses of more than 1.2 billion lempiras (about $48 million) a year in lost production, and is calling for structural energy reforms rather than temporary fixes.

Some Honduran businesses are being fined for playing music without copyright permits, prompting Congressman Rashid Mejía to ask whether the enforcement unfairly burdens entrepreneurs while artists' royalty rights remain in dispute.

Roatán's municipal government unveiled new traffic signs and vehicle-management measures for the congested Los Fuertes sector, setting aside dedicated zones for public transport and improving coordination between transit and municipal police to ease congestion and improve road safety.

Residents of Ocotepeque blocked part of the CA-4 highway to demand that the national power utility ENEE fix chronic blackouts that are causing economic losses and daily disruptions across the department.

Honduras's state utility ENEE will cut power on June 19 in parts of Francisco Morazán, Yoro, and Cortés for substation maintenance and transmission-line work, with the Central District affected from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and El Progreso from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Also reported by: Radio HRN

Analysts say Honduras's state electricity utility, ENEE, needs $6 billion in investment over the next ten years to improve service nationwide.

Honduras has recorded 175 confirmed cases of whooping cough and 14 deaths in 2026, a 53.5% increase over the same period last year, with most cases and deaths among infants and young children who have not completed their vaccinations.

Public Ministry spokeswoman Lorena Cálix said the office will not open a criminal investigation into the poisoning of a family in La Esperanza, Intibucá, who ate toxic mushrooms, finding no sign of third-party involvement and treating it as an isolated health matter.

Honduran coffee exporters say all of the country's coffee farms are ready for assessment under new European Union rules that ban imports from cleared forest land, a requirement for selling into European markets.

Heavy rains have left streets underwater for days in the Montefresco Este neighborhood of San Pedro Sula, closing schools and disrupting commerce, and residents say the chronic drainage problem persists despite years of complaints.

Honduran forward Antony Lozano has left Santos Laguna after two injury-plagued seasons, ending his run with the Mexican club on June 16.

Honduran forward Luis Palma and Polish champion Lech Poznań will face Denmark's Aarhus GF in the second qualifying round of the 2026–27 Champions League, with the matches set for late July.

Investigators said the crane involved in the June 18 crash on CA-5 that killed seven police officers had no valid operating permit, though its three drivers held valid licenses, and that preliminary findings point to excessive speed causing the driver to lose control on a downhill curve.

Also reported by: Radio HRN

A man identified as Noé Mejía Vásquez was shot and killed in the Segua sector of San Miguelito, Intibucá, and authorities are investigating the motive.

The trial of three men accused of carrying out the 2024 killing of environmental leader Juan López has been pushed to January 18, 2027, to add new evidence from the arrests of three more suspects charged with ordering the crime.

A 24-year-old in Choluteca says he lost L22,000 (about $880) in remittance money meant for home-construction materials when an elderly man used a sleight-of-hand trick to swap his cash for paper outside a bank on June 17.