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 downfall of the Hillsong Church pastor, Europe's Covid-19 response, life in Elon Musk's house, Kanye West's life on the ranch and the TikTok frat house.

When temptations became too much for this pastor

In the summer of 2017, singer Justin Bieber abruptly cancelled the remainder of a concert tour. Bieber cited fatigue; his fans fretted. But on the tabloid website TMZ, a more hopeful narrative quickly emerged. The 23-year-old singer left the tour because he "rededicated his life to Christ," thanks to a pastor named Carl Lentz, leader of the New York City branch of the global megachurch Hillsong.

That year Hillsong and Lentz became a fixture on TMZ, always in flattering items citing unnamed sources.

But as Lentz's profile rose, many congregants felt the focus on fame and cultural power that had helped the church grow was overwhelming its spiritual mission. Last month, it all came crashing down for Lentz in a scandal that has cast a shadow on one of the most influential megachurches in America.

The New York Times looks at how the charismatic pastor helped build a megachurch - until some temptations became too much to resist.

Justin Bieber with Lentz, who became a fixture on TMZ. Photo / Getty Images

Europe said it was pandemic-ready. Pride was its downfall

In February when European health ministers met in Brussels to discuss the coronavirus emerging in China, they commended their own health systems and promised to send aid to poor and developing countries.

Barely a month later, the continent was overwhelmed. Instead of merely providing aid to former colonies, Western Europe became an epicentre of the pandemic. Officials once boastful about their preparedness were frantically trying to secure protective gear and materials for tests, as death rates soared in Britain, France, Spain, Italy and Belgium.

The New York Times looks at how the coronavirus exposed European countries' misplaced confidence in faulty models, bureaucratic busywork and their own wealth.

A temporary morgue was set up in the car park of a mosque in Birmingham, England, in April to help the city cope with deaths from the coronavirus. Photo / Andrew Testa, The New York Times

Elon Musk, blasting off in domestic bliss

So how do the King of Mars, his Galactic Princess and their newborn son, X Æ A-Xii, spend a Saturday night holed up in their Los Angeles pad?

A little anime. Lots of late-night debates about the potential and danger of artificial intelligence. And many audiobooks and podcasts.

Grimes, the singer and artist, and Elon Musk, the rocket man and Tesla magnate, have an otherworldly romance. Which works out well since Musk wants to occupy Mars, in case malevolent robots or an engineered virus threaten Earth, and then die on Mars, just not on impact.

The billionaire space oddity talks to The New York Times about life with Grimes and Baby X, Trump, Tesla, tunnels, short shorts, stock surges, Facebook fumbles and everything else under the sun.

Elon Musk. Photo / Getty Images

Kanye, out west: The superstar's new life on the ranch

It's surprising that a global celebrity who frequently self-identifies as the greatest artist living or dead has become an everyday presence in a tightly connected town of about 10,000 people. It's more surprising just how much the town's leaders want him to stay.

There Kanye West is at the McDonald's, the Best Western and the Boot Barn. He hangs out at the Cody Steakhouse on the main drag, where he met one of his intern videographers, a student at Cody High School. His ranch is close to town, and to get where he needs to go, Kanye drives around town in a fleet of blacked-out Ford Raptors.

So what exactly is the superstar doing in Wyoming?

Jonah Engel Bromwich of The New York Times investigates.

A billboard on the south end of Cody, Wyoming, greets travellers on their way into town. Photo / Elliot Ross, The New York Times

TikTok's Hype House: Life inside the social media frat house

It's a Hollywood mansion where TikTok stars go to live, swap ideas and create new videos. Think cool model agency crossed with a sanitised frat house and you get the picture.

Harriet Walker reports on the Gen Z A-list who no longer care about the big screen. It's the little one in their hands that counts.

Members of the Hype House, a Hollywood mansion that houses TikTok stars. Photo / Michelle Groskopf, The New York Times