This week: A campaigning mayor who incurred the wrath of Donald Trump, a spiritual leader and the co-founder of Toni and Guy
THE politician Ed Lee, pictured, who has died aged 65, was a former civil rights lawyer and campaigning mayor of San Francisco whose open policy towards immigration put him at odds with Donald Trump.
Lee, who was the city's first Asian-American mayor, oversaw a technology-driven economic boom in the city, inspired by Silicon Valley, that brought with it sky-high housing prices.
He was also a staunch supporter of San Francisco's sanctuary city policy toward immigrants, meaning that it generally does not comply with federal requests for help with identifying and deporting them. It was a stance Lee reiterated last month when a Mexican man who had been repeatedly deported was acquitted of murder in the 2015 killing of Kate Steinle.
The case became a flashpoint in the nation's immigration debate, with then-presidential candidate Donald Trump repeatedly referencing it as an example of the need for stricter immigration policies and a wall along the Mexican border.
Lee was appointed mayor in 2011 and was re-elected in 2015. He was an advocate for the poor but detractors claimed he catered too much to Silicon Valley, citing his brokering of a tax break in 2011 to benefit Twitter as part of a remake of the city centre.
Housing prices have surged in San Francisco with modest homes now topping $1.5 million, and Lee has faced criticism for not doing more to provide affordable housing for the working class.
RABBI Aharon Leib Shteinman, who has died aged 104, was the spiritual leader of Israel's non-Hassidic ultra-Orthodox Jews of European descent and one of the country's most influential and powerful rabbis.
Mr Shteinman was a longtime political kingmaker whose orders were strictly followed by his representatives in parliament. His influence, however, far surpassed that and he was seen as the leading voice of the entire community on many issues of religion and state.
Following the 2012 death of his predecessor, Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, he was widely regarded as Gadol Hador, or "leader of the generation".
The ultra-Orthodox, known in Hebrew as Haredim, or "those who fear God", are the fastest growing sector in Israel. Due to their high birth rate, they now number more than one million people, or about 12 per cent of Israel's 8.7 million citizens, with the majority living beneath the poverty line.
Mr Shteinman was known for his rabbinic scholarship, his relatively pragmatic rulings and extremely modest lifestyle.
He was often called to judge on sensitive matters such as how much the traditionally insular community should integrate with the larger Israeli society, embrace technology, pursue higher education, work or agree to serve in the largely security military.
THE hairdresser Giuseppe Toni Mascolo, who has died aged 75, was the co-founder of the famous chain Toni & Guy. The Italian-born hairdresser established the first of the salons in Clapham, south London, in 1963 with brother Gaetano, known as Guy. The company went on to achieve global success.
Mr Mascolo was born in Naples in Italy in 1942. His father, a celebrated hairdresser, taught him and his four brothers to cut hair from a young age.
Despite an interest in a career in law, he began working in London salons, firstly as an assistant to his father.
When his younger brother Guy was given the opportunity to take over the Clapham salon where he worked, Mascolo left his job and the pair opened the first Toni & Guy branch.
The company has since grown to comprise two global, franchised hair salon groups, with 475 Toni & Guy shops across 48 countries.
Mr Mascolo was awarded an OBE for services to hairdressing in 2008.
He is survived by wife Pauline, brothers Bruno and Anthony, children Sacha, Christian and Pierre, and many grandchildren.
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