Saturday, June 20, 2026 — Morning Edition

The Supreme Court has ordered judges nationwide to notify the Treasury and affected agencies directly of final orders authorizing embargoes against public institutions, ensuring payments comply with budget availability.

The German Embassy in Honduras will hold a free virtual information session on June 22 for Hondurans interested in moving to Germany to work, covering financial planning, paperwork, family matters, and where to settle.

Sixty attorneys who topped a public-prosecutor competition asked Congress to press the Public Ministry after their swearing-in stalled for months following an April notice that was never followed up.

A corruption court convicted three former Social Security Institute officials, including Mario Roberto Zelaya and José Ramón Bertetty, of ongoing fraud uncovered in a 2016 CNA investigation into overpriced contracts for work at Hospital Regional del Norte, sentencing them to nine years and four months in prison.

The Association for a More Just Society and the National Anti-Corruption Council have endorsed a plan to split the state electricity company (ENEE) into three commercial firms for generation, transmission, and distribution, but analysts say the groups have eased their scrutiny of the Asfura government and that the reform has not been adequately aired with the public.

The Supreme Court's appointed auditor (TSC) has begun reviewing the tenure of Rebeca Ráquel Obando, who resigned as president of the court in March after making roughly 190 appointments during her term that drew criticism.

A La Prensa review of government contracts found that the now-defunct Strategic Planning Ministry spent more than 2.2 million lempiras (about $88,000) on breakfasts, lunches, and catering for workshops, meetings, and internal events between 2023 and 2025, contracting more than 8,300 food services in all.

A new law creating a central registry of beneficial owners won backing from legal experts as a tool to fight money laundering and improve Honduras's standing with the Financial Action Task Force, though analysts warn of the risks if sensitive data falls into the wrong hands or is used for political ends.

Congress opened first-round debate on an 18-article bill to reorganize and strengthen the country's power system, which still needs two more votes before final passage.

Also reported by: Congreso Nacional

The National Registry (RNP) began enrolling children ages 6 to 17 in a new biometric identity document called Dinna, targeting 2.3 million minors across 23,836 schools nationwide in a $40 million World Bank–funded program meant to guarantee the right to identity and prevent trafficking.

The Central Bank of Honduras auctioned $82.2 million in its June 19 currency sale, setting an average exchange rate of L26.7135 per dollar for June 20 to 22.

Economist Guillermo Matamoros says the Central Bank of Honduras must take mitigating steps as indicators suggest inflation will overshoot its target range, though May data point to a slowdown from April.

Honduras's net foreign reserves grew by $1.18 billion from late January to mid-June 2026, while import coverage held steady at 6.6 months of goods and services.

The government approved importing 60,000 metric tons of South American rice tariff-free through December 31, waiving the 45% duty normally charged to countries without free-trade agreements—a move criticized by domestic rice growers who say they lack guaranteed prices and a coherent farm policy.

At a job fair in Tegucigalpa, older workers said they face age discrimination despite their experience and credentials, while hundreds of applicants of all backgrounds contend with high unemployment and a shortage of formal jobs.

The state power utility ENEE will cut electricity to several San Pedro Sula neighborhoods on Sunday, June 21, during two separate transmission-line maintenance windows—7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and noon to 3 p.m.

Senasa confirmed avian influenza at a commercial poultry farm in San Pedro Zacapa, Santa Bárbara, triggering containment measures to prevent its spread.

Coastal erosion in Cedeño, on the Gulf of Fonseca, has pushed the shoreline back 135 meters since 2004, destroying homes and livelihoods and driving young people to migrate abroad to survive.

Heavy rain and strong winds in southern Honduras destroyed about seven traditional bahareque homes in Santa Lucía and El Palenque, in Choluteca department, displacing families but causing no deaths; authorities are assessing the damage and coordinating aid.

The Public Ministry says it will seek more than 60 years in prison for a man accused of sexually abusing his nephew.

Yaritza Murillo, 20, and Katerin Oliva, 19, were shot dead and three men were wounded in an armed attack at a home in El Porvenir, Atlántida; the motive remains unclear and no arrests have been reported.

Also reported by: TuNota (Canal 5 / TSI)

A court sentenced a man to 20 years in prison for the murder of attorney René Altamirano in San Pedro Sula, in a case prosecuted by the Public Ministry.

A National Police vehicle collided with a trailer truck in El Rodeo, Comayagua, on Wednesday afternoon, injuring several officers, with preliminary reports suggesting some may have died, though exact figures remain unconfirmed.

Also reported by: Radio HRN