Karen Sasahara recently ended her term as deputy assistant secretary of state for North Africa. Reuters
Karen Sasahara recently ended her term as deputy assistant secretary of state for North Africa. Reuters
Karen Sasahara recently ended her term as deputy assistant secretary of state for North Africa. Reuters
Karen Sasahara recently ended her term as deputy assistant secretary of state for North Africa. Reuters

Karen Sasahara nominated for US ambassador to Kuwait


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President Joe Biden has nominated Karen Sasahara as US ambassador to Kuwait, the White House announced on Friday.

The position has been vacant since March 24.

Ms Sasahara, a career member of the Foreign Service, recently ended her term as deputy assistant secretary of state for North Africa, a position she had held since 2020.

Before that, Ms Sasahara served as the chargé d'affaires ad interim in Amman from March 2019 to August 2020, when Henry Wooster was confirmed as the US ambassador to Jordan.

She previously served as the general consul in Jerusalem until the US consulate there was closed down in 2019.

After receiving a degree in Near East Studies from George Washington University, she spent the majority of her Foreign Service career at the State Department in positions related to the Middle East.

She has held an array of diplomatic posts in Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Beirut and Yemen, as well as in Guantanamo Bay in Cuba and Mexico City.

James Holtsnider has been serving in the position in Kuwait on an interim basis.

Diplomat Alina Romanowski previously served as ambassador to Kuwait under the Donald Trump administration from 2020 to 2022.

She is married to Michael Ratney, Mr Biden's nominee for ambassador to Saudi Arabia.

Michael Ratney — in pictures

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What is Financial Fair Play?
Introduced in 2011 by Uefa, European football’s governing body, it demands that clubs live within their means. Chiefly, spend within their income and not make substantial losses.

What the rules dictate? 
The second phase of its implementation limits losses to €30 million (Dh136m) over three seasons. Extra expenditure is permitted for investment in sustainable areas (youth academies, stadium development, etc). Money provided by owners is not viewed as income. Revenue from “related parties” to those owners is assessed by Uefa's “financial control body” to be sure it is a fair value, or in line with market prices.

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There are a number of punishments, including fines, a loss of prize money or having to reduce squad size for European competition – as happened to PSG in 2014. There is even the threat of a competition ban, which could in theory lead to PSG’s suspension from the Uefa Champions League.

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Updated: August 19, 2022, 9:13 PM`