Sunday, August 2, 2026

Labor courts in Francisco Morazán are swamped with roughly 15,000 active cases, about 1,000 per judge, prompting the Supreme Court to roll out a contingency plan to cut hearing delays and speed up rulings.

The Honduran government said it will not appear before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) for a hearing tied to an ongoing political trial, submitting a written defense instead.

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization called on Central American countries to strengthen strategic grain reserves to protect food security during the expected 2026–2027 El Niño, which forecasters say will bring less rainfall, more frequent droughts, and crop damage across the region.

The Energy Ministry warned that fuel prices in Honduras will keep rising for the next three weeks, driven by international market volatility and crude oil near $90 a barrel, with the increases likely to push up transportation costs and the price of basic goods.

Honduras's shrimp sector, concentrated in Choluteca and Valle departments, is holding production steady and generating $230–$270 million a year in foreign exchange while supporting roughly 20,000 direct jobs and 100,000 indirect ones across the supply chain.

The government opened a public tender to pave 6 kilometers of the Emerald Corridor linking Trujillo and Santa Fe in Colón with high-strength concrete, a project meant to boost tourism and regional development along the northern coast.

Roatán's Juan Manuel Gálvez International Airport is undergoing renovations ahead of the November–April high season, with temporary restrictions on some areas so construction can proceed uninterrupted.

A prolonged drought in San Antonio de Flores, Choluteca, has killed more than 100 cattle since February and forced small ranchers to sell hundreds more, as authorities declared a yellow alert and the mayor requested expanded government aid.

Infop San Felipe is offering a free, month-long intermediate English course starting August 3, held online and open to people 15 and older, with morning and midday sessions.

Also reported by: Radio HRN

The Technological University of Honduras's Roatán campus launched a virtual museum documenting life in the Bay Islands during the 1960s, with audiovisual displays set to open to the public at the Casa de la Cultura in late September.

Honduran forward Keyrol Figueroa scored twice in Liverpool's 4–3 preseason loss to Cardiff City's under-21 team, extending his recent run to four goals in two matches and keeping him among the academy's top attacking prospects at 19.

Real España beat Platense handily in the opening match of Honduras's Apertura 2026 season, with striker Marco Aceituno scoring twice in the first half, though coach Jeaustin Campos pointed to areas for improvement.

Also reported by: Diez

Head coach José Molina traveled to Puebla to back the Honduras under-20 squad at the Concacaf Premundial, continuing an integration model between the senior and youth national teams to build long-term player development.

Police are investigating a letter circulating in Tegucigalpa and attributed to MS-13 that claims the gang has stopped extorting and urges merchants and transport workers to report anyone demanding illegal payments in its name.

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

Michael Jamblyck Costly Bennett, 30, was arrested in Michigan on July 30 on suspicion of a murder committed abroad and found carrying forged documents; he had twice been deported from the US.

Authorities arrested a 34-year-old man accused of shooting his aunt, Elizabeth González Ardón, to death on May 29 in Alauca, El Paraíso; investigators believe a family dispute over an inheritance drove the killing.

Authorities are investigating a mother in Roatán on suspicion of child abuse after two siblings, ages 4 and 13, were hospitalized with burns in an incident said to have occurred on Sunday.

Honduras confirmed that its OAS mission in Washington will represent the government at an Aug. 5 Inter-American Commission on Human Rights hearing on judicial independence and the use of political trials.

César Chirinos, president of the National Association of Public Employees (Andeph), said mid- and lower-level officials are demanding improper payments that inflate public spending and procurement costs, and pledged to give President Asfura the details directly.

Honduras's basket of essential goods has climbed to about L17,000 (around $680) in 2026, driven by a 24% rise in electricity rates and volatile fuel prices that consumer advocates say are putting food staples out of reach for the poor.

The Attorney General's office says the Economic Reactivation Law has cut damages awarded in lawsuits against the state by roughly half through settlements between public institutions and plaintiffs.

Beginning Aug. 3, Honduras will undergo its first anti-money-laundering assessment in a decade by Gafilat, the Latin American Financial Action Group, with results bearing on investor confidence and the risk of landing on the international Financial Action Task Force's grey list.

Gremipe, the micro and small business association, warns that about 30,000 microenterprises have closed nationwide so far this year, wiping out roughly 80,000 jobs, and blames power outages and rising production costs.

Honduras's maquiladora sector lost about 40,000 jobs in 2025 as companies closed or relocated, even as the government touts a possible 4,000-job textile plant and says a U.S. tariff on Honduran goods is straining competitiveness.

The state power utility ENEE will cut electricity from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Aug. 2 in parts of Tegucigalpa and surrounding areas for scheduled maintenance on a transmission transformer at the Amarateca substation.

Also reported by: Televicentro

The Education Ministry has launched a review of Honduras's 23-year-old National Basic Curriculum, with 500 teachers across departments examining content in English, mathematics, and other subjects to align teaching with labor-market demands and add STEAM methodology.

Nineteen Honduran artists are showing paintings, photographs, and mixed media on San Pedro Sula's urban energy and daily life in a free exhibition at Torre Banpaís through Aug. 28.

Olimpia plays Lobos UPNFM on Aug. 2 at 7:30 p.m. in Tegucigalpa to open the 2026 Honduran league season, which debuts a new 12-team regional format.

Francis Hernández, the Honduras Football Federation's sports director, explained why four key players were unavailable for the Under-20 Concacaf Premundial, citing club commitments, transfer status, and injury, while declining to treat their absence as an excuse.

Honduras's Labor Ministry says citizens over 21 with no formal education or work experience can apply for temporary jobs in Spain, the United States, and Canada through the PTTE program, though employers make the final hiring decisions based on job-specific qualifications.

Police arrested two men, ages 45 and 21, allegedly tied to the criminal group led by a man known as 'Juan el Malón,' whom authorities accuse of orchestrating violence, forced displacement, and illegal logging in the Merendón reserve.

Also reported by: HCH, TuNota (Canal 5 / TSI)

Police arrested Tira Maryori Borjas Ortiz, 37, after video circulated on social media showing her insulting and shoving her mother, Zonia Esperanza Ortiz García, at their home in Teupasenti, El Paraíso; she faces charges of aggravated domestic abuse.

Also reported by: TuNota (Canal 5 / TSI), Radio HRN

A motorcyclist died and his female passenger was injured on Aug. 1 when their bike collided with a heavy truck in the Bijao sector of Choloma; authorities are investigating whether the truck driver failed to yield.

A woman with multiple knife wounds was found dead in an unfinished house in the La Pista neighborhood of Catacamas, Olancho, on Saturday morning; police have not yet identified her or named any suspects.