The New Zealand Herald is bringing back some of the best stories of 2020 from our premium syndicators, including The New York Times, Financial Times and The Times of London.

Today we look at the murky world of child "recovery agents", Ben Affleck speaks frankly about addiction, the opioid epidemic and the role drug makers have played, the man behind Rich Kids of Instagram and New Zealand's election.

Three abductions of N

For a fee, shadowy "recovery agents" will cross borders to snatch back the children of estranged parents. "It's an unregulated industry," said a spokeswoman for a charity that helps parents of abducted children. "We have seen things go very wrong."

The New York Times looks at the case of N - a New Zealand born child caught in an international custody battle.

Atchariya Chaloemmeeprasert has not seen her daughter since April 2015. "Why did God allow this to happen?" she said. Photo / Adam Dean, The New York Times

Ben Affleck tried to drink away the pain. Now he's trying honesty

Warning: This is not one of those celebrity profiles that uses a teaspoon of new information to flavour a barrel of ancient history.

This is Ben Affleck, raw and vulnerable, talking extensively for the first time about getting sober (again) and trying to recalibrate his career (again).

The actor speaks frankly to Brooks Barnes of The New York Times about everything from his addictive behaviour and his divorce to why he lied about that back tattoo.

Affleck in Los Angeles recently. He calls his divorce from Jennifer Garner "the biggest regret of my life." Photo / Magdalena Wosinska, The New York Times

Wall St, bribery and an opioid epidemic: Inside story of a disgraced drugmaker

The opioid epidemic has shaped America. There have been 750,000 overdose deaths since the crisis began in 1999, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and about two-thirds involved an opioid.

Many people hooked on illegal opioids start on painkillers prescribed by doctors. At first, marketers convinced some physicians that opioids were not as addictive as previously thought. But in some regions, the abuse became brazen.

Executives from Insys, the maker of a drug containing fentanyl, were the first pharmaceutical bosses to be handed prison time for their role in the epidemic.

Why were the warning signs around Insys ignored for so long? The FT and PBS series Frontline investigate.

The opioid epidemic has shaped America. Photo / 123RF

Meet the dark genius behind Rich Kids of Instagram

Growing up, he lived with his grandparents in Leicester, sharing a bunk bed with his single mother. Eight years ago, James Ison launched a website marrying two new obsessions: Instagram and super-rich millennials. Now he's fast becoming wealthy himself – and onto his latest way to make even more money.

Jessie Hewitson of The Times meets him.

James Ison launched a website marrying two new obsessions: Instagram and super-rich millennials. Photo / @jamesmcison Instagram

Jane Clifton: Does Ardern's power come from her likeability?

It's beginning to look suspiciously as though New Zealanders really yearn for a sort of benign dictatorship.

Once again, we've gone for a voluntary one-party state – having soundly thrashed one of the minor parties we once elected for accountability and given the other one a hell of a fright.

Jane Clifton of the New Zealand Listener looks at how this election continues the Kiwi trend of choosing leaders based almost purely on how much we personally like them.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. New Zealand has gone for a voluntary one-party state. Photo / Mark Mitchell