Friday newspaper round-up: Energy bills, ticket touting, BlackRock

(Sharecast News) - The number of people in England and Wales who sought help with energy bills jumped by 20% last year, according to Citizens Advice, which assisted 60,000 households struggling with the soaring cost of gas and electricity. That number was double the figure for 2020, the national consumer advice charity said, with problems with billing being the single most common type of issue raised with its service providers. - Guardian The price at which tickets for live events can be resold is to be capped under "gamechanging" proposals put forward by the government to crack down on touting in the sector. In a move hailed by music industry figures, the culture minister, Lisa Nandy, has launched a consultation that she said would end the "misery" of fans being exploited by touts, some of whom have made huge profits by selling hundreds of tickets a year. - Guardian

More than 100 earthquakes that damaged households across Surrey were likely caused by fracking, according to a landmark study by the University College London (UCL). As part of their findings, researchers suggested that oil extraction from a Surrey well led to powerful tremors across various villages in 2018-19, including Newdigate and Charlwood - which lie just four miles from Gatwick Airport. - Telegraph

BlackRock, the world's biggest asset manager, is abandoning an influential net-zero alliance after coming under pressure from Republican politicians over its support for "woke" climate policies. The New York-headquartered firm, which manages $11.5 trillion of assets, said it would leave the Net Zero Asset Managers initiative. Members of the group pledge to support the goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, including by using their votes on behalf of shareholders at corporate meetings. - The Times

The increase in employers' national insurance contributions will result in an overall slowing of wage growth in the long run, a deputy governor of the Bank of England has said. Sarah Breeden, who is in charge of financial stability at the Bank, said she no longer feared a resurgence in consumer price inflation this year as the economy has slowed, the labour market has cooled and government tax changes to NICs could push down on earnings growth. - The Times