May 17-23 global agenda: Google I/O in San Francisco

(Google)

Next week's global highlights comprise the beginning of the Tennis French Open and the closing of the Cannes Film Festival, a Google developers' event in San Francisco, the White Nights music festival in Saint Petersburg, a Picasso exhibition opening in Liverpool, among other events.

Decanter World Wine Awards at London's wine fair
May 18-20
London, UK

Decanter magazine's annual competition judges wines in five stages broken into various categories based on region and price. The International trophies will be announced to wine professionals during the exclusive wine trade event, the 30th Annual London International Wine and Spirits Fair (LIWF) taking place May 18-20.
Decanter is a prestigious wine and spirits monthly publication available in the UK and online everywhere else.
http://2010.londonwinefair.com

Google I/O
May 19-20
Moscone Center
San Francisco, California, USA

Google I/O is the company's largest developer event of the year. The intensive two-day event focuses on development for Android, Google Chrome, Google APIs, GWT, App Engine, and open web technologies. The event will feature 80 sessions and more than 100 demonstrations given by some of the more than 3,000 developers expected to attend the event. It's the place to talk with the engineers building the next generation of web, mobile and enterprise applications.
http://code.google.com/events/io/2010/

Stars of the White Nights
May 21 - July 21
Saint Petersburg, Russia

For two months, Saint Petersburg will host the 18th Stars of the White Nights Music Festival, held annually during the season of the midnight sun. The festival will present more than 90 operas, ballets, symphonic and chamber concerts, and solo performances. Ensembles include the Seoul Philharmonic led by Myung Whun-Chung, Simon Bolivar Youth Symphony led by Gustavo Dudamel, Moscow Soloists, Polish National Ballet, and Vienna Philharmonic, while soloists include sopranos Nathalie Dessay and Maria Guleghina, violinists Nikolaj Znaider and Leonidas Kavakos, pianists Yundi Li and Hélène Grimaud, and actor John Malkovich. Because of high demand, tickets often sell out weeks or months in advance.
http://www.balletandopera.com/link/white-nights

Asia International Arts & Antiques Fair
Hong Kong
May 21-23

Billed as the "largest arts and antiques fair in Asia-Pacific',' hundreds of galleries and private collectors will show - and hopefully sell - everything from paintings to porcelain, calligraphy to clocks for the 5th edition of the fair.
In comparison, TEFAF in Maastricht (Netherlands) is one of the most important international fine art and antiques fairs, taking place earlier in the year, usually in March.
http://www.aiaa.com.hk

Osman Yousefzada at the V&A's Fashion in Motion
May 21
London, UK

The designer will show how his pieces, modeled by contemporary dancers, move with the body as part of the museum's popular series, which in the past involved Giles Deacon, Stella McCartney, Alexander McQueen, Gareth Pugh and Vivienne Westwood.
http://www.vam.ac.uk

Mawazine: World Music Festival
May 21-29
Rabat, Morocco

For the 9th year, Rabat hosts one of the biggest world music festivals this May. The 2010 event will host international headliners such as Mika, Elton John, BB King, Carlos Santana and Sting and African legends like Ismael Lo and Alpha Blondy and Lebanese diva Majda Roumi. Other headliners include Julio Iglesias, Seun Kuti, Richad Bona, Angélique Kidjo, Omar Sosa and Don Bigg, Harry Connick Jr.
http://www.festivalmawazine.ma

"Picasso: Peace and Freedom" exhibition
May 21-August 30
Liverpool, UK

Presented at Tate Liverpool, "Picasso: Peace and Freedom" reveals new insights into the artist's life as a political activist and campaigner for peace with with 150 paintings and drawings from 1944-1973, during the post-War period. After Liverpool, the exhibition will travel to Albertina Museum in Vienna in September (September 22- January 16, 2011)
http://www.tate.org.uk/liverpool

Tennis: French Open
May 23 - June 6
Paris, France

The second Grand Slam event of the 2010 ATP World Tour has tennis great Roger Federer as its men's defending champion - when he won in 2009 he became only the sixth professional to win all four Grand Slam singles. Svetlana Kuznetsova will need to recover the form that saw her jump 5 WTA rankings to 3rd in 2009 in order to retain the women's trophy. Tickets come at a range of prices, depending on the tier of both match and seats.
http://www.rolandgarros.com

Palme d'Or awarded at Cannes film festival
May 23
Cannes, France

For the 63rd edition of the Cannes Festival, American director Tim Burton will head the international jury that will select the Palme d'Or laureate, one of the most prestigious film awards in the world to be announced on the closing day of the event, May 23.
http://www.festival-cannes.com