This house started the Special Olympics. It's finally being recognized.
When Luz Maria Sampedro was a high school senior in her native Bogotá, Colombia, in 1978, she and her classmates volunteered at her city's Special Olympics.
The event, which had begun in the United States a decade earlier, offered people with intellectual difficulties a venue for competition and glory. The idea was to showcase not disabilities, but the abilities, prowess and excellence of a group that is often unfairly sidelined, according to organizers.
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Associated Press
an hour ago
- Associated Press
Takeda Ukraine & Bulgaria Earn #8 Global Ranking in Best Places to Work 2024
LONDON, UK - Media OutReach Newswire - 5 June 2025 - Takeda, a global value-based, R&D-driven biopharmaceutical company, has been proudly recognized as one of the Top 10 Best Places to Work in the World for 2024, achieving the No. 8 global ranking by both Ukraine and Bulgaria countries. This prestigious recognition underscores Takeda's commitment to creating a workplace that embraces diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I), fostering an empowering culture across all locations it operates. This accolade reflects Takeda's consistent focus on employee well-being, trust-based leadership, and a people-centered approach to business. At Takeda, we are committed to delivering an exceptional employee experience by cultivating an inclusive, purpose-driven workplace where our people can grow both personally and professionally. Being recognized as a Best Place to Work reflects our unwavering dedication to building a culture where every colleague feels valued, supported, and empowered to thrive. Volodymyr Pedko, General Manager of Takeda Ukraine, shared: 'It gives me great pride to receive this recognition during such challenging times! It stands as a testament to the exceptional quality of work and everyone's commitment to building and sustaining an innovative and inclusive workplace in our organization.' Todor Kesimov, General Manager of Takeda Romania & Bulgaria, commented: 'I am extremely proud that Takeda has been recognized as one of the top ten employers in the world for 2024. This confirms our efforts to build a culture of trust, care, and respect in every country, including Bulgaria. This recognition inspires us to continue building a better future – for our employees, for patients, and for society.' Hashtag: #BestPlacesToWork The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. About Takeda Takeda is focused on creating better health for people and a brighter future for the world. We aim to discover and deliver life-transforming treatments in our core therapeutic and business areas, including gastrointestinal and inflammation, rare diseases, plasma-derived therapies, oncology, neuroscience and vaccines. Together with our partners, we aim to improve the patient experience and advance a new frontier of treatment options through our dynamic and diverse pipeline. As a leading values-based, R&D-driven biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Japan, we are guided by our commitment to patients, our people and the planet. Our employees in approximately 80 countries and regions are driven by our purpose and are grounded in the values that have defined us for more than two centuries. For more information, visit For more information, please visit the program website:
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
College baseball tournament super regionals: Ranking the 16 teams left in the field
College baseball tournament super regionals: Ranking the 16 teams left in the field Show Caption Hide Caption 5 men's NCAA baseball tournament players to watch The Mongomery Advertiser's Adam Cole and The Tennesseean's Aria Gerson break down the top players to watch in the men's NCAA baseball tournament. With the NCAA baseball tournament field now whittled down to 16 teams, it's natural to ask which of the regional champs have the best chance to bring home the title in Omaha, Nebraska, at the end of the month. In all honesty, given that half the national seeds have already been eliminated, your guess is probably as good as ours. Nevertheless, we shall take a stab at ranking the 16 remaining teams. First and foremost, a few caveats are in order. This ranking is completely unscientific. Poll positions and seeds are taken into account, but recent performance and historic postseason success are also factors considered. Home field in the upcoming super regional round is an edge, but it's anything but a guarantee of success as we've already seen in this tournament. With all that out of the way then, here's how we rank the 16 survivors. No. 1 Arkansas Is this finally the Razorbacks' year? Arkansas was a win away in 2018 but has yet to claim a national championship. In addition to being the highest-seeded team still in the tournament, this year's squad would appear to have the necessary combination of pitching depth and timely hitting for a long stay should it make it to Omaha. But the Hogs have a tough assignment against the defending champion Volunteers. No. 2 North Carolina The Tar Heels look to have the best position of the ACC's sizable five-team contingent in the round of 16 after getting past Oklahoma in an elimination game to advance. UNC is also seeking its first title, but Gavin Gallaher has been on an absolute tear at the plate in the postseason, and Jake Knapp is a true staff ace. No. 3 Auburn The Tigers rebounded in a big way from a subpar 2024 campaign thanks to a significant roster overhaul. They swept their regional while several of their SEC brethren weren't nearly as successful, and now they seek a return trip to Omaha after a two-year absence. Their last obstacle, however, is significant (see below). No. 4 Tennessee The Volunteers weren't the most consistent bunch in SEC play this season, particularly in the latter half of the campaign. The offense gets a lot of the headlines but there are enough arms to weather what should be an electric atmosphere at Arkansas. They've had success against the Razorbacks before, and if they find a way to reach Omaha they'd have a solid chance to repeat. No. 5 LSU Though the Bayou Bengals had to work a little harder than expected to get past a pesky group of Trojans from Little Rock, they'd be a popular choice to add to their seven championship banners if they reach the College World Series. LSU isn't as reliant on offense as years past with Anthony Eyanson and Kade Anderson giving the pitching staff two elite starting options. No. 6 Oregon State Perhaps it was the shock of losing to Saint Mary's in the opener last week, but the Beavers' bats woke up in time for them to avoid elimination in their home park. It won't hurt that they get to stay in Corvallis while their opponent must travel across the continent, but maintaining the hit parade against Florida State's accomplished hurlers will be a challenge. No. 7 Louisville After sweeping their regional that included top overall seed Vanderbilt, the Cardinals can't be counted out. Their matchup against Miami guarantees at least one ACC squad will be represented next week at the CWS, though Louisville did not encounter the Hurricanes during the regular season. No. 8 UCLA The Bruins broke through for their first baseball title in 2013. Somewhat surprisingly, they haven't been back to Omaha since. This year's group is happy to be home after accumulating many more travel miles in its first Big Ten season. Balance is a big part of their success with excellent defense supporting a solid hitting and pitching group. No. 9 Florida State As long-time Seminoles' fans are well aware, getting to Omaha has not been the issue. They've been there 24 times without a title. But first things first, as they'll need to win a series on the west coast before dealing with the inevitable questions about all the years of CWS futility. Starting pitchers Jamie Arnold and Joey Volini will be asked to lead the way in slowing down Oregon State. No. 10 Coastal Carolina We admit we might have the Chanticleers too low here. They rank second in ERA (3.22), which certainly gives them a chance to cool Auburn's hot bats. The offensive firepower in the Sun Belt top to bottom doesn't match the SEC, of course, but Coastal faced its share of major conference competition during the season as well. The offense relies less on the long ball than manufacturing runs. No. 11 Duke Even Duke's meager College World Series history comprising three appearances, the most recent in 1961, is more than that of its opponent this weekend. We'll say this much – the Blue Devils' series against Murray State should be quite entertaining, especially if you like to see a lot of runs scored. No. 12 Arizona The Wildcats flew under the radar a bit this season as they negotiated their new conference, but they still won the Big 12 tournament and got through regionals - albeit with the benefit of not facing host Oregon. There's no shortage of history in the program that claims four national championships, but this group has a difficult road assignment in Chapel Hill. No. 13 Texas-San Antonio The Roadrunners are sailing in uncharted waters. But now that they've cracked the super regionals for the first time – at the expense of their state's flagship school no less – they won't be bothered by the increasingly bigger stage. UTSA has scored more runs than any of the remaining 16 teams, so their bats should provide a test for UCLA's solid pitching staff. No. 14 West Virginia "No lead is safe" might be a cliché, but it definitely applies to this scrappy bunch of Mountaineers after thrilling comeback victories against Clemson and Kentucky that got them through their regional in three games. They also perform well away from Morgantown, but overcoming the home environs in Baton Rouge will still be a major challenge. No. 15 Miami (Fla.) The Hurricanes are arguably the shakiest of the handful of ACC squads to reach this point even thought they worked their way through both Alabama and Southern Mississippi for their first super regional since 2016. As mentioned above, they did not meet Louisville earlier, though their results against the conference's upper tier would suggest winning twice on the road is a tall order. No. 16 Murray State Perhaps we should pay more attention to the Missouri Valley tournament on an annual basis. The Racers' run through Mississippi's regional means an MVC squad has reached the super regionals in four of the last five seasons. Murray State will undoubtedly have to continue its high run production to keep up with Duke, but the Racers will enjoy the ride regardless.
New York Times
3 hours ago
- New York Times
Liverpool reject Barcelona approach over Luis Diaz transfer, tell them he is not for sale
Liverpool have rebuffed an approach from Barcelona to discuss signing Luis Diaz, telling the champions of La Liga he is not for sale. The 28-year-old Colombia international joined from Porto in January 2022 on a deal that runs until the summer of 2027 and, as things stand, there is little expectation of a fresh agreement. Advertisement It has led Diaz to be linked with leaving Anfield and Barcelona contacted their Premier League counterparts on Wednesday about recruiting him. But Liverpool's formal reply was unequivocal; the Catalan club and their sporting director Deco were immediately informed that no appetite exists to trade a squad member who head coach Arne Slot is planning with for the 2025-26 season. Diaz was of interest to Manchester City last summer and also has admirers in Saudi Arabia. Yet the recent pursuit of Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes, 30, by Al Hilal helped Liverpool establish Diaz's market price. The winger played a key role in bringing a 20th English title to Merseyside and has so far given no indication of wanting to depart. Unless that or Liverpool's stance changes, the club would be happy to let Diaz see out his final 24 months. Liverpool's new-look hierarchy, led by sporting director Richard Hughes and Fenway Sports Group's chief executive of football Michael Edwards, has sought to address the contract issue — however progress has not materialised. At Diaz's age, their current preference would be to maximise his performance value — even if that means exiting as a free agent — unless Liverpool receive bids that enable them to land a replacement of similar or superior quality. (Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
