Photo of Fred Harter
Fred Harter

Reporter

Fred is a reporter at The Observer who writes for the Sensemaker daily newsletter and contributes coverage across print and digital. He has reported from over a dozen countries and was previously a freelance correspondent in Ethiopia, reporting for the Guardian, The Times and others.

Photo of Fred Harter

Fred Harter

Reporter

Fred is a reporter at The Observer who writes for the Sensemaker daily newsletter and contributes coverage across print and digital. He has reported from over a dozen countries and was previously a freelance correspondent in Ethiopia, reporting for the Guardian, The Times and others.

  • Fred Harter
    Scrapping some British juries is a major change. It may not work

    It is unlikely to make a dent in the courts backlog and could make trials less fair

    Thu, 4 Dec 2025

  • Fred Harter
    Bloodbath in Sudan

    On Sunday rebel forces in Sudan captured the key city of el-Fasher.  Reports suggest that tens of thousands of people were killed in a matter of days.  

    9 min • S1, E1224

  • Fred Harter
    Trump has raised expectations that he will attack Venezuela

    The White House accuses Nicolás Maduro of engaging in “narcoterrorism”. It is a dubious claim

    Mon, 1 Dec 2025

  • Fred Harter
    Why is Trump splitting with MAGA over Epstein?

    President Trump has spent his political career promoting conspiracy theories for electoral gain, now he’s trying to shut down one of the most enduring of the lot.

    7 min • S1, E1150

  • Fred Harter
    Profile: Jared Isaacman, Nasa’s incoming billionaire boss

    Elon Musk now has an ally in charge of Nasa – a fellow space traveller tasked with reviving the agency and getting America back to the moon

    Mon, 1 Dec 2025

  • Fred Harter
    ‘We saw so many bodies that we lost count’: the horror of El Fasher

    Eye-witness reports, satellite images and social media videos record the carnage when RSF fighters seized the famine-stricken capital of Sudan’s North Darfur

    Mon, 24 Nov 2025

  • Fred Harter
    Mysterious drone sightings are causing alarm across Europe

    Drones are appearing above airports, military sites and other infrastructure. Russia is the chief suspect

    Mon, 17 Nov 2025

  • Fred Harter
    Prisoners keep being freed by accident. It is a symptom of a bigger issue

    David Lammy has pledged to overhaul the prison release system after several high-profile mistakes

    Thu, 13 Nov 2025

  • Fred Harter
    Elle Bisgaard-Church, New York’s newest kingmaker

    Supporters of Zohran Mamdani credit his victory in the New York mayoral race to his chief adviser

    Sun, 9 Nov 2025

  • Fred Harter
    Protests rocking Serbia show no sign of stopping

    The president continues to resist calls for an election

    Tue, 4 Nov 2025

  • Fred Harter
    A tragedy foreseen: mass killings in Sudan

    Reports of mass killings have emerged and the country is now split in two

    Mon, 3 Nov 2025

  • Fred Harter
    ‘The road is full of dead’: Sudanese leave one hell for another

    Thousands continue to suffer in El Fasher

    Mon, 3 Nov 2025

  • Fred Harter
    Mia Mottley, Barbadian PM ready to shape the Cop30 agenda

    The island nation’s rock star leader has already reframed the way the world talks about climate change

    Sun, 2 Nov 2025

  • Fred Harter
    The asylum hotel story can be summed up in a single word: waste

    Estimated costs have more than trebled due to the use of expensive accommodation and private providers

    Thu, 30 Oct 2025

  • Fred Harter
    The acquittal of Soldier F leaves victims and their relatives still seeking closure

    It is unlikely anyone will ever be convicted for Bloody Sunday

    Tue, 28 Oct 2025

  • Fred Harter
    Human rights violations threaten upcoming elections

    Abductions, torture and repression characterise the autocratic rule by the country’s first female president

    Mon, 27 Oct 2025

  • Fred Harter
    Not everyone is happy about the UK’s new digital IDs

    Public support plummeted after Keir Starmer announced them

    Fri, 24 Oct 2025

  • Fred Harter
    The Prince Andrew scandal shows no sign of going away

    MPs are trying to formally remove his dukedom

    Wed, 22 Oct 2025

  • Fred Harter
    A wave of Gen Z protests is sweeping the world

    From Peru to Nepal, young people are voicing their anger with inequality and a lack of jobs

    Mon, 20 Oct 2025

  • Fred Harter
    A million-year-old skull from China has rewritten human evolution

    It may have begun in Asia, not Africa, and much earlier than previously thought

    Fri, 17 Oct 2025

  • Fred Harter
    New witness statements for collapsed spy case shift focus to the CPS

    The Tories and Labour have blamed each other. But there will now be questions about the strength of the allegations

    Thu, 16 Oct 2025

  • Fred Harter
    With pubs closing at a fast rate, Labour is reviewing licensing

    Ministers are drawing up plans to solve the crisis facing British pubs

    Wed, 15 Oct 2025

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