The world this week

MONDAY 23 JULY

WATCH OUT FOR:

• Our features and photo gallery from Cuba one year after Fidel Castro's last public appearance

Plainclothes brigade? Police are out in force as Iran cracks down even harder on "un-Islamic" dress in Tehran. Police will be looking for women with immodest veils, short coats or Capri pants, and men with unacceptable hairstyles. Hundreds of women have been arrested and some beaten since the drive began in April, human rights groups say.

Blair the envoy: Tony Blair is expected to make his first visit to Jerusalem and Ramallah this week as envoy for the Middle East Quartet. He is no stranger to the region from the decade he served as British prime minister but his neutrality has been questioned by some.

Not a constitution... Foreign ministers meet in Brussels to unveil the follow-up to the EU's draft constitution of 2005, killed off by popular votes in France and the Netherlands. A three-month inter-governmental conference will fine-tune the Reform Treaty, as it is known.

Big hitters? Rivals for the US Democratic Party's 2008 presidential nomination meet in South Carolina for another debate. For the first time, they will be answering questions sent in by users of the video-sharing website YouTube, which is jointly hosting the event with CNN.

WEDNESDAY 25 JULY

Arab peace: Egypt and Jordan send their foreign ministers to Jerusalem on a rare mission to persuade Israel to accept a Saudi-inspired plan for Middle East peace. They arrive with the support of the Arab League.

Richard and Katharina: Katharina Wagner, great-granddaughter of the composer Richard, directs a new production of his opera Die Meistersinger in Bayreuth. She is tipped to take over as head of the famous German festival.

THURSDAY 26 JULY

Peer circuit: Formula One's governing body, the Paris-based FIA, is due to hear claims that McLaren's chief designer received illegal information belonging to Ferrari. The "spy" scandal has threatened to affect F1 racing prodigy Lewis Hamilton's bid for the championship.

Green state: The UN secretary general visits California to see its work to stem global warming. The state "is at the very forefront of the global war against climate change", according to Ban Ki-moon.

Speechless year: Fidel Castro last appeared in public exactly one year ago, at events to mark the anniversary of a revolutionary action, the assault on the Moncada Barracks. There is speculation over whether the ailing 80-year-old will make a comeback or will be represented instead by his brother Raul.

FRIDAY 27 JULY

Up, up and away: Balloonists of the world float into Lorraine, eastern France, for its 10th international festival of giant inflatables. The festival website promises "10 fiesta and fairy days" at Chambley Air Base.

SATURDAY 28 JULY

Let's party: Earl Silas Tupper, the US chemist and businessman who invented the plastic food and drink containers known as Tupperware, was born 100 years ago.

SUNDAY 29 JULY

Japanese vote: Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is braced for bad news in elections to the upper house of parliament. Polls suggest his popularity is at its lowest since he took office in September last year.

Many badges ago... It is a century since Robert Baden-Powell took 20 boys to Brownsea Island, Poole Harbour, for an experimental camp. This event led to the formation of Britain's Scout Movement, the world's largest youth organisation.

This guide to the week ahead is not intended as an exhaustive list, and the events noted may be cancelled or postponed.