Thursday, September 24, 2026

A bill by Liberal congressman Francis Cabrera would let municipalities issue local cargo and passenger-transport permits while giving the national transport institute (IHTT) authority over intercity service, in a bid to streamline approvals.

Foreign Minister Mireya Agüero said the government is pursuing legal options for Hondurans hit by the end of US Temporary Protected Status, while beefing up consular services and pivoting toward economic diplomacy focused on investment and jobs.

Also reported by: Once Noticias

A member of Congress introduced legislation to make turquoise blue the official color of the top and bottom stripes on Honduras's flag, seeking uniform use in official settings and public buildings.

Honduras's Liberal Party lawmakers met with representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross to back a proposed law protecting the disappeared and their families, including a national search system and a unified registry.

National Party congressman Adolfo Ráquel claimed Honduras pays its lawmakers the lowest salaries in Latin America, drawing social-media criticism that a legislator griping about his income looks tone-deaf to citizens earning far less.

Honduras's campaign-finance regulator (UFTF) has upheld a fine of more than L146.4 million (about $5.9 million) against a politically obligated entity that failed to disclose 21 private contributions.

A coalition for electoral reform handed the Electoral Court's chief magistrate a package proposing professionalization, merit-based selection of magistrates, budget autonomy, and faster dispute resolution to curb political interference.

Honduras's anti-corruption council says Congress has failed to update its internal procedures to match a 2026 reform that broadened lawmakers' power to reconsider and amend approved legislation, leaving legal ambiguity that a parliamentary minority could abuse.

Honduras's year-on-year inflation rose from 3.46% in February to 6.20% in August 2026, driven largely by higher international oil prices, prompting the central bank to act to contain the impact.

The head of Honduras's fuel distributors' association warned that swings in international oil markets make prices unpredictable and called for week-to-week analysis, noting that high costs hit low-income households hardest and that the national oil import bill could top $3 billion by year-end.

Honduras's business council is backing Expo Diseñarte 2026, a two-day event on November 12–13 at the UNAH sports complex meant to connect creative talent in construction, design, and interiors with commercial opportunities.

Honduras's transport authority is running inspections across Roatán and Santos Guardiola to seize unlicensed taxis, with violators facing six-month seizures and fines of L11,000 (about $440).

Honduras's traffic authority has issued more than 100 fines to motorcyclists nationwide for breaking road-safety rules, including failing to wear the mandatory reflective vest—a requirement in force since January 2026 that carries a 412-lempira penalty (about $16).

A mobile team from Honduras's land-transport institute began certifying public and heavy-goods drivers in Roatán—the first heavy-vehicle licenses issued on the island—requiring background checks, drug tests, medical exams, and professional training.

Pharmacies at the Social Security's Regional Hospital of the North will close from September 21 to 25 for inventory, affecting the outpatient, oncology, hospital, and emergency pharmacies.

A teenager suffered full-body electrical burns and head trauma after an electrical discharge struck him while he used a power drill on a roof in San Marcos de Colón; he was flown to Tegucigalpa for specialized burn care.

A Liberal Party congressman introduced a bill to give Fundación Shin 5 million lempiras (about $200,000) for its school infrastructure projects.

Congress President Tomás Zambrano introduced a bill directing the Education Ministry to design and roll out a nationwide plan for Bible and values instruction in Honduran schools, framed as strengthening the well-rounded education of children and youth.

Honduras's weather service expects heavy rain and lightning across the central, western, and eastern regions from Tuesday through Thursday as humid winds from the Caribbean and Pacific converge, with southern areas on alert for stronger storms Friday.

Residents of Cayos Cochinos and Nueva Armenia demonstrated at the Atlántida provincial office in La Ceiba, urging authorities to let the Spanish TV production Supervivientes stay, saying it brings seasonal jobs and tourism despite environmental and indigenous-rights complaints from activist groups.

Surinam landed in Tegucigalpa on September 23 for its September 25 Concacaf Nations League group-stage match against Honduras, without key Europe-based players including striker Joël Piroe and midfielder Tjaronn Chery.

Congress has sent the Supreme Court proposed criminal-code reforms that would let police arrest suspected gang and cartel members and search homes without warrants in high-risk zones, with prosecutors validating the actions afterward.

Also reported by: Once Noticias

Honduras's police disciplinary authority wrapped up its investigation into the May 2026 deaths of five officers in Corinto, Omoa, and recommended dismissing three active officers whose cases will be referred to prosecutors.

Also reported by: Radio Cadena Voces (RCV), Once Noticias

Juan Carlos Rodríguez, known as "Piola," was shot and killed in the Guamilito neighborhood of San Pedro Sula, dying at the scene, and authorities say the circumstances and suspects remain unknown.

Congress passed sweeping legislation that labels three criminal organizations as terrorist groups and imposes strict isolation, technology bans, and severe movement restrictions on inmates convicted of terrorism or gang membership.

Also reported by: La Prensa, TuNota (Canal 5 / TSI), HCH, Congreso Nacional

Lawmakers unanimously approved a motion to enforce a 2016 decree exempting public soccer fields and parks nationwide from electricity charges, citing a decade of failure by the state utility ENEE to apply the law and warning that youth sports programs are suffering.

Congress President Tomás Zambrano said he plans to vet justice-system officials for ties to crime, after Congress approved reforms tightening confinement rules for gang and terrorist-organization members.

Also reported by: Poder Judicial Honduras

Social researcher Carolina Meléndez says Honduras needs more consular offices in New York, home to more than 100,000 Hondurans, because the long trips to existing consulates are costly and risky for residents seeking services.

The ethnic-community organization Odeco has launched a project to strengthen land rights, local governance, and economic sustainability in Atlantic-coast Garífuna communities in Colón and Atlántida, with training in human rights and women's leadership.

Honduras's campaign finance authority, the UFTF, confirmed it is investigating former presidential candidate Salvador Nasralla over irregularities including late-reported private donations and funds moved through a personal account, with its findings referred to prosecutors.

Foreign Minister Mireya Agüero met her Ukrainian counterpart, Andrii Sybiha, at the 81st UN General Assembly and signed a Honduras-Ukraine cooperation roadmap for 2026–2029.

A slander and defamation trial against Cofradía Mayor Roberto Contreras Mendoza, brought by former municipal councilor Carmen Elena Paz over his public statements about a commercial property's undervalued assessment, was moved from Wednesday to February 18 after his defense attorney reported a medical incapacity.

The Central Bank of Honduras will conduct its quarterly business and economic survey (ECOPT) from September 28 through November 6, 2026, and is asking businesses to cooperate with visiting technical staff.

Central Bank President Roberto Lagos said the 25-basis-point increase in Honduras's monetary policy rate will not raise credit costs immediately or sharply, because the bank is managing the adjustment gradually and full transmission to borrowing rates typically takes about six months.

The Public Prosecutor's Special Tax Crimes Unit is inspecting customs warehouses in northern Honduras on suspicion of tax fraud, working with customs and national intelligence authorities.

The state utility ENEE has scheduled power outages on Friday, September 25, across Comayagua, Atlántida, the Central District, and San Pedro Sula for maintenance and infrastructure upgrades, with cuts lasting from early morning to late afternoon depending on the zone.

Also reported by: Radio HRN

Hospital San Felipe is adding a second shift to double its chemotherapy capacity to 4,000 treatments a month and cut a backlog of at least 400 cancer patients awaiting care.

A three-week work stoppage by the Medical College of Honduras has left patients with cancer, kidney disease, diabetes, and hypertension unable to reach scheduled appointments, procedures, and treatments, forcing many to pay out of pocket for private consultations that can exceed L3,000 (about $120).

The Health Ministry has not filed the required quarterly reports to Congress on spending from a 500-million-lempira emergency health fund approved in February 2026, money that was meant to pay for surgeries, speed up drug purchases, and equip operating rooms.

With sargassum seaweed threatening Honduras's most-visited beach destination ahead of the Morazán holiday, Tela's municipal government has deployed cleanup crews and contingency plans to protect tourism and public access to the shoreline.

The Education Commission met with the Education Ministry and UPNFM to address concerns about the 10 Bilingual Normal Schools, with lawmakers denying rumors of closures and reaffirming that grades 7–9 will keep bilingual instruction.

Officials from the Education Ministry's Department of Environmental Education and Health trained teachers and school directors in Roatán and Santos Guardiola on environmental awareness, circular economy practices, and health care, tackling local challenges including sargassum seaweed on island beaches.

Honduras's emergency management agency extended a green weather alert for 36 hours across nine departments and the capital district, citing unstable atmospheric conditions that could bring heavy rain, flooding, and landslides in vulnerable areas.

Also reported by: Once Noticias, TuNota (Canal 5 / TSI), Radio América Honduras

Honduras will reopen the Río Amarillo airstrip in Copán Ruinas with CM Airlines service to Tegucigalpa, San Pedro Sula, and Guatemala, starting with three weekly flights in late 2026 or early 2027 to improve tourist access to the Maya ruins and the surrounding region.

The five-nation Mundo Maya organization — Honduras, Mexico, El Salvador, Belize, and Guatemala — agreed to build an integrated tourism corridor linking archaeological sites, culture, and cuisine, letting visitors tour several destinations in a single trip.

Gonzalo Fuentes, a former head of Honduras's national registry, laid out how Hondurans abroad can change letters or words in their names, noting that no attorney is required and that the forms are available directly at registry offices.

Tegucigalpa's municipal water utility UMAPS warned customers that a former meter-reader is allegedly collecting unauthorized payments in several neighborhoods, posing as an official collector on a motorcycle and wearing a blue vest.