As the people of Scotland weigh up how to vote in the independence referendum, they are asking questions on a range of topics.

In this series, we are looking at those major questions and by using statistics, analysis and expert views shining a light on some of the possible answers.
Here, on the day the latest unemployment figures are released, we focus on what the effect a "Yes" or a "No" vote might have on the jobs market, north and south of the border.
You can follow the referendum story through our Scotland Decides website. And more can be found on.....
BBC news website user Maggie McGonigle asks: "How would fiscal independence specifically work with job creation in Scotland?" Colin Armstrong and Scott Millar also ask jobs-related questions.
For most voters the key test of whether the economy is healthy or not can be summed up in one word - JOBS.
If employment is on the rise then it's usually assumed the economy is heading in the right direction.
More jobs tend to mean the economy is growing. Lower unemployment tends to mean fewer lives and communities blighted. Shorter dole-queues tend to mean the government(s) of the day can relax a little, safe in the knowledge that a political backlash has been staved off for a while.
Older readers may remember the 1979 general election and the Conservative poster campaign, "Labour isn't working". That election saw Labour swept from power for years. Many of us recall the fierce political rows during the 1980s, as UK unemployment soared to more than three million.
Whether Scotland votes "Yes" or "No", it really is unclear whether there would be a growing workforce and shorter dole-queues.
We're emerging from a long economic downturn.
The financial crisis of 2008 saw banks collapse like dominoes, and unemployment soar - not just in Scotland and the UK, but in most Western countries.
This economic heart-attack ushered in years of stagnation, with many countries still struggling to emerge from the downturn.
Some - like Greece and Italy - are still in recession. The UK, by contrast, has picked up in recent months, and its economy's grown faster than any other country in the G7 group of leading industrial nations.
This recovery's taken many by surprise: the IMF and others have had to revise upwards their predictions for economic growth, as the UK's economy performed better than expected.
The jobless rate in Scotland has fallen to 6% in the period May to July. That's now just below the rate of 6.2% for the UK as a whole.
Unemployment in Scotland has fallen by 35,000 compared to the same period last year. Scotland's economy is now bigger than it was before the crash of 2008. Employment in Scotland - the total workforce - rose by 87,000 in the year, and is at an all-time high.
The UK economy has changed dramatically since the 1970s. The labour market is now far more flexible. During the downturn, this helped keep the jobless total much lower than some had feared.
Mass unemployment was replaced by widespread under-employment, as people eked out part-time jobs, or seasonal or casual or fixed-term work. The result's been a record level of employment, even if the UK's economy has failed to deliver higher living standards for its citizens.
In the last year in the UK we've seen employment rise by more than 800,000.
The Better Together campaign argues that a "Yes" vote in the referendum puts the UK's recovery at risk, and it claims that political divorce - however amicable - would create barriers to growth.
It says uncertainty over a future Scottish currency, tax rates and EU membership threaten the UK's single market, and Scottish companies' ability to trade internationally, with a consequent threat to jobs and livelihoods.
However, the Yes campaign says independence would create not risk, but opportunities to grow the Scottish economy and boost the workforce.
It claims an independent Scottish government, with all the economic levers at its disposal, would be able to fine-tune the environment for businesses, growth and jobs better than Westminster can do right now. Its supporters point to other small countries - like New Zealand, Singapore and Switzerland - which are wealthy and successful - and ask: "Why not here?"
Every month, when the official employment figures are released, politicians pore over the data, comparing Scotland with the UK as a whole. Sometimes it seems we're doing better - at other times, worse. But that obscures a key issue. Some argue the right comparison for Scotland to make should NOT be with the whole of the UK - but with its regions.
Right now, London and the south-east are generating high numbers of new private sector jobs.
And Scotland's economy is performing pretty strongly as well. Other parts of the UK lag further behind.
So, whether or not Scotland chooses independence, voters here may well ask in the future: "How does our level of job creation compare with the richest regions of these islands?"
And the challenge for all our political leaders will be to ensure Scotland's rate of employment and job creation rise up the UK's league table, into the future.


Former Labour minister Lord Mandelson has urged peers not to "throw in the towel" when they debate legislation paving the way for Brexit.

He said the Lords should amend a bill to protect the rights of EU citizens to ensure a "meaningful" vote on the final deal before Britain leaves the EU.
He urged fellow Labour peers to show "strength and clarity" over the issue.
Conservative Justice Secretary Liz Truss said Brexit opponents were "fighting yesterday's battles".
The House of Lords - in which the government does not have an in-built majority - will start considering proposed legislation to leave the EU on Monday.
But the former Labour cabinet minister, EU Trade commissioner and Remain campaigner said the "verbal guarantees" the government were offering EU citizens in the UK were insufficient.
Lord Mandelson told the Andrew Marr programme that the Lords should "reinstate" the protections into the bill in the coming weeks.
"The government used its majority to bulldoze the legislation through the House of Commons," he said. "I hope it won't be so successful in the House of Lords," he said.
"At the end of the day the House of Commons, because it is the elected chamber, will prevail but I hope the House of Lords will not throw in the towel early."
But Ms Truss said leaving the EU was the "settled will" of the British people and the House of Lords needed to "get on" with the process.
She told Andrew Marr that once the UK formally notified the EU of its intention to leave by triggering Article 50, she believed the process was "irrevocable".
Earlier this month, MPs overwhelmingly backed a bill to empower Theresa May to begin the Brexit process. The PM wants to do this by the end of March but needs the approval of both Houses of Parliament first.
MPs rejected calls for the status of EU citizens living in the UK and a parliamentary vote on the final terms of exit to be explicitly guaranteed in the bill - although ministers have conceded the Commons will have its say and it fully expects citizens of other EU countries to be able to stay in the UK after Brexit pending negotiations.
Lord Mandelson also said some Leave voters who were having second thoughts at the government's "Brexit at all costs strategy" needed to have their voice heard.
But Ms Truss said Lord Mandelson was speaking as if the referendum "never happened".
She told Andrew Marr that the House of Commons had "conclusively" voted to trigger Article 50, with the majority of Labour MPs backing the government.
"The fact is it is a simple bill on whether we trigger Article 50," she said.
"The British people have voted for that and was clear in the referendum.
"The House of Lords now needs to get on with it. I fully expect the House of Lords will recognise the will of the people and the House of Commons."
Although she voted to remain in the EU last year, Ms Truss said there was now a "new reality" and if a similar vote was held in the future, she would vote to leave.
Tory backbencher Dominic Raab warned the Lords would face a backlash if it tried to hold up the Brexit process.
"Voters will not look kindly on unelected politicians seeking to obstruct both the result of the referendum, and the vote of their elected representatives in the House of Commons earlier this month," he said.


British Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman is to step down as editor-in-chief after more than 25 years in post.

Ms Shulman will leave in the summer. Her successor has not yet been named.
It was "hard to find a rational reason to leave" but she "wanted to experience a different life", she said.
Nicholas Coleridge, managing director of the magazine's publisher CondÃ© Nast, said: "Alex has been the longest-serving and most successful editor of Vogue in its 100 year history."
Ms Shulman said steering Vogue during its "spectacular centenary" in 2016 had been "one of the greatest privileges" of her role.
"I have worked with an unparalleled collection of talent both inside and outside the magazine and have been lucky enough to see both Vogue and the British fashion industry expand and flourish," Shulman said.
How Shulman shaped British fashion
Scroll down for more British Vogue covers
Mr Coleridge noted she had edited Vogue for a quarter of its existence, through its highest-ever circulation, as it changed to a digital brand.
"She has been the towering figure of the British fashion press throughout her tenure: a superb journalist and editor, who understands and exemplifies every quality. Imaginative, hard-working, perceptive and a brilliant leader," he said.
She was a valued friend, he said, and it was "impossible" to express the contribution she had made to the magazine.
A documentary for the BBC by Richard Macer last year went behind the scenes at Vogue - and showed how Shulman managed to hide landing the Duchess of Cambridge for the cover from the filmmaker.
Despite her job in fashion, Ms Shulman once told The Guardian: "There was a newspaper piece which was kind of a round-up of all the editors of Vogue, and it was like the Russian one and the Italian one - and the description of me was 'chain-smoking 50-year-old Toyota-driving divorcee', and I thought, 'Hmm, bit too much reality, actually'.
"I could have done with a bit more 'cool ice-maiden'."
The fashion industry has seen controversy and concern about very thin models during Ms Shulman's 25-year tenure.
But she was not afraid to speak out about this and in 2009 wrote an open letter to the powerhouses of Karl Lagerfeld, Donatella Versace and Miuccia Prada criticising their use of "minuscule" sample sizes.
In 2012, Vogue globally pledged only to use healthy models in its pages.
Its November issue last year featured only real women on its editorial and fashion pages, prompted by difficulties Ms Shulman had in securing sample designer clothes for women who were not models for shoots with the magazine.
Ms Shulman used Vogue to "champion the talent" of British fashion designers as well as photographers, stylists, make-up artists and writers, the Guardian's Associate Fashion Editor, Jess Cartner-Morley said.
"She has worked hard to get Vogue - and by extension, the fashion industry - to engage with the wider world," she added.
She said Ms Shulman also worked as a "tireless advocate" for London Fashion Week arguing time for the event and "leveraging her own reputation to persuade designers to stage their shows" there.
Writer and broadcaster Sali Hughes paid tribute to Ms Shulman as a "brilliant and talented, dyed in the wool journalist" and a "warm, friendly and inclusive person - not the Vogue editor stereotype".
"As somebody who comes from a straight journalism background it has been extremely inspiring to me to have someone at the helm of Vogue who takes journalism and writing very seriously and applies journalistic principles to a subject matter many people had previously considered to be irrelevant and frivolous," she said.
"There's no reason a fashion magazine should be regarded with less respect than a publication covering another topic. She has made it a professional and respectable and insightful subject to write about."
British Vogue said: "An announcement regarding a successor will be made in due course."


There must be no "safe spaces" for terrorist funding in the global financial system, Theresa May will tell a meeting of the G20 on Friday.

The UK PM will focus on ways to track small sums of money used to finance "lone wolf" attacks, as well as large transfers, at the summit in Germany.
More must also be done to tackle the risk of foreign fighters "dispersing" from Iraq and Syria, she says.
The terror threat must be combated "from every angle", Mrs May is urging.
The UK has been hit by attacks in London and Manchester in recent months.
Clashes erupt at Germany G20 protest
Ahead of the summit in Hamburg, Mrs May said the terrorist threat was "evolving".
"We have seen the threat spread out of Syria and Iraq - into other countries and online.
"As we deny physical space to terrorists to operate in theatre, we must outpace the terrorist methodology as it develops to attack other vulnerable targets and increases inspired attacks.
"We must therefore combat the threat from every angle.
"This includes taking measures against permissive environments for terrorist financing, and monitoring the dispersal of foreign fighters from battle."
Police and protesters have clashed in Hamburg, where the G20 meeting of world leaders begins on Friday.
Police fired water cannon at a march attended by thousands carrying banners with slogans such as "Welcome to hell" and "Smash G20" on Thursday.
Up to 100,000 protesters are expected in Hamburg during the summit.
Mrs May will address the summit in the wake of attacks in Westminster, Manchester, London Bridge and Finsbury Park in the past few months.
In May, she urged world leaders at a G7 summit to do more to combat online extremism.
On Friday, she will say that loopholes being exploited by so-called Islamic State and other terror groups in financial systems must be closed.
New technology and partnerships could help banks and financial technology companies to spot suspicious small transfers of cash, she will say, which are hard to identify but must be challenged.
And she will press the need for better information sharing about people known to have travelled to fight in IS-controlled territory - to track them if they attempt to return to their home countries.
US President Donald Trump met German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday and the pair spent an hour talking about North Korea, the Middle East, the conflict in eastern Ukraine and G20 issues, a German government spokesman said.
Last week Mrs Merkel said the G20 would focus on the Paris climate deal, which the US has withdrawn from.
However, she has since said that as the G20 host, she would work to find compromises.
A UK government official said Mrs May was expected to raise climate change with the US president at the G20, and would stress that Britain "remains fully committed" to the agreement.
The summit will also see Mr Trump meet Russian President Vladimir Putin for the first time. The meeting will take place at 14:45 local time (13:45 GMT) and last for an hour, Russian media report.
On Thursday Mr Trump used a speech in the Polish capital Warsaw to call on Russia to stop "destabilising" Ukraine and other countries.


"I have more friends to talk to in Irish and I'm able to use my language more."

Paul is a pupil at what is, in Northern Irish terms, an unusual school.
He attends Gaelcholáiste Dhoire, one of only two two post-primary Irish medium schools in Northern Ireland.
An Irish language act could see more schools like Gaelcholáiste Dhoire open, as the act would give children the right to an education in Irish if they wanted it.
It would also guarantee services through Irish on a par with those available in English.
Politicians have had their say on an Irish language act through the election campaign.
Nationalists and some other parties want one, many unionists do not.
But how do Irish speakers feel about an act? Is language legislation important to them?
Gaelcholáiste Dhoire was a good place for me to start asking those questions.
The school opened, controversially, in 2015 with only 16 pupils, but that number has trebled since and is expected to rise again this year.
The principal Diarmaid Ua Bruadair said that the school was vital to the local community.
"The Irish language has been spoken in the Sperrin mountains within living memory," he said.
"So there is a seed there and that seed was lying dormant for a while, and the Irish medium education and community sector has enabled that seed to grow again."
He said an Irish language act was essential, and does not understand why it is politically controversial.
"The students at this school have rights, and they should be protected," he said.
"There's a growing recognition across the world that minority languages are valuable, are precious, and should be protected."
Aside from education provision, an Irish language act could also mean some other practical differences.
Irish could be used in courts and in assembly debates with simultaneous translation.
It would be used by state bodies, including the police, and a commissioner would be put in place to make sure the use of the language was facilitated.
Those proposals and others were detailed in a consultation document produced by the Department for Culture, Arts and Leisure back in February 2015.
However, no estimate was put on how much it might cost to implement.
That does not change students' views in another, very different, Irish class.
At Stranmillis University College in south Belfast, Ian Malcolm teaches Irish in the evening to lifelong learning students.
He is a Protestant and a unionist, but is a fluent speaker and Irish language enthusiast.
He wants an act, but thinks that a phased introduction would make common sense.
"I think that would be a more productive approach than some sort of blanket introduction where everything is introduced at once," he said.
"What's the point of an Irish language act if it's going to mean people sitting down and translating pointless documents nobody reads in English into pointless documents nobody reads in Irish."
"A very important move for me would be the appointment of an Irish language commissioner or indeed a languages commissioner for Northern Ireland who would be able to take a look at the overarching questions surrounding Irish in the province."
His students, who come from all backgrounds, also do not see why a language act should be controversial.
Peter Tweed said the act would not force people to learn Irish.
"It's not something that we had the opportunity to learn at school, but I've always had an interest in language in general," he said.
Legislation "would potentially de-politicise the language to some degree," he said.
The Irish News columnist Patrick Murphy said people forget that, at many points in history, it was Protestants who ensured the language survived.
"The Irish language should be taken out of the political arena because in Northern Ireland the political arena is a sectarian arena," he said.
"I think the problem comes from the St Andrew's Agreement which suggests the Irish language is a Catholic language."
"In effect, the Presbyterian church has done more to preserve and protect the Irish language than the Catholic church ever did."
"In the 17th century the Presbyterian church was translating the Bible into Irish - the Catholic church didn't manage that until 1981."
All of the Irish speakers I talked with said they did not want the language to be a political football.
But when it comes to a language act the challenge is still to get the politicians all in harmony.


First it's the euro-referendum, then assisted dying: Parliament's back for a brief pre conference-season thrash - with some very big-ticket legislating at both ends of the week.

So what's on?
Monday
The Commons returns at 2.30pm and opens with work and pensions questions. This being the first day back after the long summer break, the chances are there will then be some urgent questions or ministerial statements before we get on to the day's scheduled legislating. There is no shortage of possible subjects, with everything from the refugee crisis (Andy Burnham has a UQ request down) to government policy on renegotiating the UK's membership of the EU, to Trident replacement.
One side effect of airing these important issues is that the crucial report stage proceedings on the European Union Referendum Bill could be delayed for a couple of hours, and then stretch on into the night, with key votes not taking place until midnight.
Anti-EU Tories have been organising furiously to ensure that their forces are marshalled. And in an amendment paper of fiendish complexity, there are a galaxy of proposed changes to the legislation.
The main area of contention is on the restrictions placed on campaigning by the government and the EU during the referendum. The Foreign Secretary, Philip Hammond, has put down detailed amendments on this issue, after running into criticism during the committee stage debates on the bill, but they only appeared at the last minute, and as I write, the very detailed small print was still being studied by suspicious eurosceptics.
In a round-robin to Conservative MPs, the Europe Minister David Lidington says the government has reinstated Section 125, (the Purdah regulations from the Political parties Elections and Referendums Act 2000) with a tweak to allow "business as usual communications on EU-related matters", but it would prevent the government using billboards, newspaper or digital advertising or mailshots or emails to influence voters in the 28 days before the poll.
The exceptions he proposes are to allow ministers to promote UK interests by issuing statements on EU Council meetings or in response to ECJ judgments. There might be a European or international emergency, like the Mediterranean migrant crisis and he says the government should not be prevented from speaking in the campaign period.
But the key issue is a new clause allowing the government powers to issue specified communications during the referendum period, by statutory instrument, after consultation with the Electoral Commission. Conservative eurosceptics say this amounts to the same position which led them to clash with the government at the bill's committee stage - an invitation to trust ministers to do the right thing. Because the new amendments were not published until very late, they have yet to agree tactics, but key figures like backbench organiser Steve Baker are clearly not happy, arguing that a requirement to consult the Electoral Commission was not a sufficient safeguard for an enabling power.
On other issues, there are amendments and new clauses to ensure EU institutions neither campaign nor bank-role campaigning. The Labour front bench has, helpfully, proposed a series of amendments which could attract the votes of Conservative rebels.
Other highlights include a call from the SNP (New Clause 3)  for a "double majority" rule, under which the UK could only leave the EU if there was a majority for doing so in each of the four constituent nations - so even if there was a numerical majority for withdrawal across the whole of the UK, Britain would remain in, if there was a majority voting to stay in one of Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.
Sir Bill Cash and others (New Clause 1) call for a Broadcasting Adjudicator to oversee the impartiality of coverage of the referendum; they would draw up guidelines and deliver rulings on any complaints within one day.
Hardcore EU opponents Philip Davies and David Nuttall (NC4) want to require that in the event of the UK voting to leave, notice would have to be served on the European Council under article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, within 28 days of the referendum. Withdrawal would have to be completed within two years, and their clause would forbid any further referendum. (Ministers have backed another amendment from these two, ruling out the referendum taking place alongside local elections on 4 May 2017 and Mr Hammond has added his name to it.)
Labour Europhile Mike Gapes wants to allow EU citizens resident in the UK to have a vote (Amdt 20).
Of course, it's not a done deal that all of the above backbench amendments will be selected for debate - the chair will announce the choice at the start of proceedings.
Over in Westminster Hall, my eye was caught by a couple of debates, including business rates in rural areas - the Conservative Jake Berry's (from 11am - 11.30am) on what he calls "mission creep" by the National Valuation Office. He says new policies on the treatment of hole in the wall cash machines and on domestic stables could have damaging effects on the rural economy.
Adam Holloway, another Conservative, has a debate scheduled on Mediterranean migration (2.30pm - 4pm) but it's possible this will be overtaken by events in the main chamber.
In the Lords (2.30pm) the main legislating is the first committee stage day on the Energy Bill - the key issues both today and on Wednesday will revolve around whether the proposed Oil and Gas Authority will be fit for purpose.
Peers will debate amendments on the precise functions of the OGA, whether there should be a requirement for it to have regard to environmental considerations, climate change, carbon capture, transportation/storage, and decarbonisation of the industrial sector.
And that's followed by a Labour regret motion against the Criminal Legal Aid (Remuneration etc.) (Amendment) Regulations 2015 - which cuts payments to lawyers for legal aid work, from Labour front-bencher Lord Beecham. This is the kind of move likely to attract the support of the legion of ex-judges and superlawyers on the cross-benches, so ministers should watch out.
Tuesday
The Commons day opens (at 11.30am) with justice questions, followed by a ten minute rule bill proposed by the Conservative Ian Liddell-Grainger on the Satellite Navigation (Updating Scheme).
After that, there may well be more post-holiday ministerial statements or urgent questions. And then it's on to the detail of the Finance Bill in its committee stage. Labour's shadow Chancellor Chris Leslie has amendments down calling for a report on the impact of key measures - the big increase in Insurance Premium Tax on the cost and take-up of insurance policies (in the Budget debate he condemned the increase as "a tax hit on the insurance of the family home") and report into the effect of the removal of the Climate Change Levy exemption on the renewable energy generators.
In the Lords (from 2.30pm), the main debates are on two select committee reports. First, the Communications Committee report on women in news and current affairs broadcasting, and then the report from the EU Committee on civilian use of drones in the EU.
There will also be a short debate on plans to boost productivity in the United Kingdom
Wednesday
The Commons meets at 11.30am for Welsh questions, followed at noon by prime minister's questions - this will be Harriet Harman's last outing as acting leader of the Labour party. She has faced David Cameron 15 times as acting leader of the Labour party, and when PMQs has been delegated to deputies she has faced William Hague 12 times, and Nick Clegg seven times.
Labour MP Kerry McCarthy - one of Parliament's small contingent of vegans - has a ten minute rule bill on cutting food waste - and the main debate will be on a subject to be chosen by the SNP.
In Westminster Hall, there's a promising-looking debate (9.30am - 11am) on affordable housing in London - new Conservative MP Chris Philp is concerned that housebuilding in London is failing to keep pace with demand, and he's keen to highlight the case for releasing publicly owned land (the 6,000 acres owned by Transport for London, for example) for housing development.
Other subjects to be aired in Westminster Hall include contaminated blood products (11am - 11.30am); funding for West Midlands Police (2.30pm - 4pm); orphaned opencast mines (4pm - 4.30pm) and dementia care services.
In the Lords (from 3pm), peers are focusing on the detail of the Energy Bill and there will be a short debate on the national strategy for the treatment of lymphoedema in the NHS.
Thursday
The Commons meets at 9.30am for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs questions; plus mini-question times for the MPs who speak on behalf of the Church Commissioners, the Public Accounts Commission and the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission.
The weekly Business Statement from the leader of the House will follow; will it reveal a new parliamentary strategy to corner the new leadership of the Labour party on contentious issues like Trident replacement and benefits cuts?
Then MPs turn to the first Backbench Business Committee debates of the 2015 Parliament: first on immigration detention (the subject of a scathing report by a high-powered All-Party Group, shortly before the general election) and then on Sustainable Development Goals.
In the Lords (11am), there are debates on subjects chosen by backbench Labour peers, starting with Lord Haskel, on the British economy beyond austerity - followed by the future financing and independence of the BBC, led by Baroness (Joan) Bakewell.
And during the dinner break there will be a short debate on the effectiveness of the UN and the selection process for Secretary-General and other appointments, led by Lord Dubs.
Friday
The Commons private members' bill season starts with a bang (9.30am) with the second reading of Rob Marris's Assisted Dying (No. 2) Bill.
This will be a classic private members' bill tactical battle, with opponents seeking to talk the bill out, and supporters hoping to muster enough MPs to force a vote and get the bill through to detailed scrutiny in committee. No-one seems to have much idea how it will play out, because this is the first real test of the 2015 Commons on this kind of free vote issue.
One factor may be that the SNP are unlikely to vote on what will be an England-only measure, whereas the solid group of Catholic Scottish Labour MPs they replaced would have been a key part of any coalition against a bill of this kind.
It's possible Labour MP Vicky Foxcroft might get a chance to introduce her Representation of the People (Young Persons' Enfranchisement and Education) Bill. (This cause is popping up all over the place at the moment - and will also certainly feature in debates on the EU Referendum Bill. Supporters of lowering the voting age seem determined to add amendments to every possible piece of legislation.)
But I'd be surprised if we make it to Mark Pawsey's Crown Tenancies Bill, let alone some of the many measures lurking further down the order paper. But keep an eye on two, in particular; David Davis's Public Nuisance from Wind Farms (Mandatory Liability Cover) Bill is a carefully calculated swipe at onshore wind farms and he's far too wily a tactician to let it languish, undebated.
Another old hand is Graham Allen, whose Constitutional Convention (No. 2) Bill parallels the measure proposed in the Lords by the Lib Dem Lord Purvis of Tweed.
And there are also private members' bills in the Lords (from 10am). First is the Council Tax Valuation Bands Bill proposed by Lord Marlesford, which would create a new set of council tax valuation bands to apply to all dwellings bought or sold after 1 April 2000.
Next is the Earl of Lytton's Property Boundaries (Resolution of Disputes) Bill at second reading - this deals with disputes over boundaries and private rights of way or the title of an estate.
And the Conservative Lord Trefgarne is having another stab at his Succession to Peerages Bill, which seeks to give women an equal right to inherit hereditary titles.


Royal Bank of Scotland has agreed a £3.65bn ($4.75bn) settlement for its role in the sale of risky mortgage products in the US before the financial crisis.

The settlement is with the US Federal Housing Finance Agency, which oversees the secondary mortgage market.
A separate deal with the Department of Justice is expected later this year.
The boss of RBS said the fine was a "stark" reminder of what happened to the bank before the financial crisis.
RBS has set aside a total of £6.7bn ($8.6bn) as a provision for both payments.
The bank's chief executive Ross McEwan, said: "Today's announcement is an important step forward in resolving one of the most significant legacy matters facing RBS.
"This settlement is a stark reminder of what happened to this bank before the financial crisis, and the heavy price paid for its pursuit of global ambitions."
The UK government still owns 72% of RBS and has been waiting for its performance to recover so it can start selling some of that stake.
Although the settlement is enormous - it is not unexpected and RBS had already set aside £6.7 billion to settle their final bill. This is not quite it.
A separate settlement with the Department of Justice is expected later this year which could match or exceed today's settlement.
RBS today topped up the kitty for penalty payments by another £151m which will hit this year's earnings.
Despite its core business producing reasonable profits, fines for historical conduct has meant RBS has lost money every year since a £45bn government bailout in 2008.
RBS chief executive Ross McEwan has said he is hopeful that by the end of this year, the legacy issues that have dogged this bank will be behind it and the government will be able to start selling chunks of the bank back to the private sector.
The shares are currently worth around half the price the government paid for them but Philip Hammond has indicated that the government may be prepared to start selling shares at a loss.
The settlement announced today relates to the role played by RBS in the mis-selling of products backed by home loans in the run up to the financial crisis.
During that period banks were buying up mortgages and repackaging them as investment products.
Those bundled up packages of mortgages were often marketed as safe investments, but when the financial crisis hit, many proved to be worthless.
Other banks, including Deutsche Bank, Citigroup, JP Morgan Chase, Bank of America and Goldman Sachs have already settled similar cases with US authorities.


Hidden Figures was the surprise winner of the top prize at this year's Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards, which was dominated by anger over Donald Trump's policies on immigration.

The film, which tells the true story of black female mathematicians during the 1960s space race, won the best ensemble prize at the Los Angeles ceremony.
Denzel Washington was named best actor for Fences.
Several winners attacked Mr Trump's ban on immigration from seven countries.
The tone was set by host Ashton Kutcher, who began the evening by greeting "everyone at home and everyone in airports that belong in my America".
"We're in a really tricky time in our country and things are very inexcusable and scary," said Emma Stone as she won the best actress prize for La La Land.
Mahershala Ali, meanwhile, spoke about his Muslim faith as he accepted the best supporting actor prize for Moonlight.
Mr Trump's executive order, signed on Friday, halted the entire US refugee programme for 120 days, indefinitely banned Syrian refugees, and suspended all nationals from seven Muslim-majority countries.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus called the immigration ban "a blemish" and "un-American" as she won best comedy TV actress for Veep.
And there were cheers for actress Taylor Schilling when she described the award-winning cast of Orange is the New Black as "a diverse group of people, representing generations of families who have sought a better life here".
Denzel Washington's Fences co-star Viola Davis was named best supporting actress at an event where several actors of colour were honoured.
Yet the actress told reporters that every black nominee had been shortlisted "because they deserve to be" and "not... because of the colour of their skin."
Meanwhile, Lily Tomlin was presented with a lifetime achievement award by her 9 to 5 co-star Dolly Parton at Sunday's ceremony.
There were also awards for John Lithgow and Britain's Claire Foy for their work in The Crown, Netflix's drama about the British royal family.
Hidden Figures' success came at the expense of such Oscar-tipped titles as Manchester by the Sea, which left empty-handed despite being up for four prizes.
Oscar favourite La La Land was not up for the outstanding performance by a cast in a motion picture award - the SAG equivalent of the best picture prize.
Outstanding male actor in a leading role: Denzel Washington, Fences
Outstanding female actor in a leading role: Emma Stone, La La Land
Outstanding male actor in a supporting role: Mahershala Ali, Moonlight
Outstanding female actor in a supporting role: Viola Davis, Fences
Outstanding cast in a motion picture: Hidden Figures
Outstanding male actor in a TV movie or limited series: Bryan Cranston, All the Way
Outstanding female actor in a TV movie or limited series: Sarah Paulson, The People Versus OJ Simpson
Outstanding male actor in a drama series: John Lithgow, The Crown
Outstanding female actor in a drama series: Claire Foy, The Crown
Outstanding male actor in a comedy series: William H Macy, Shameless
Outstanding female actor in a comedy series: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep
Outstanding ensemble in a drama series: Stranger Things
Outstanding ensemble in a comedy series: Orange is the New Black
Outstanding stunt ensemble in a comedy or drama series: Game of Thrones
Outstanding stunt ensemble in a motion picture: Hacksaw Ridge
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.


Queen of the South made heavy weather of defeating Linfield, taking until extra-time to score the goals that took them to the Irn-Bru Cup quarter-finals.

Lyndon Dykes, who had earlier missed two golden chances, eventually beat Roy Carroll, who had been outstanding in the Belfast team's goal, with a tap-in.
Stephen Dobbie, the best outfield player on the park, was next with a sensational free kick.
But the Scottish Championship side thoroughly deserved the victory.
Pre-match, there was a minute's silence followed by applause in the 39th minute in tribute to Ryan Baird, the fan killed in the recent Rangers supporters' bus crash.
It is the first season when Northern Irish and Welsh clubs have entered the new-look Challenge Cup, joining at the last-16 stage.
And Linfield arrived with plenty of Scottish connections, including manager David Healy, the former Rangers striker who scored 36 goals in 95 appearances for Northern Ireland.
Carroll and Matthew Clarke were also at Rangers, Chris Casement at Hamilton Accies and Dundee and Sammy Clingan at Kilmarnock.
Dobbie was outstanding for Queens and, in the first half, could have had a couple of goals - one from a clever hitch-kick and a second effort that brought a save from Carroll, who saved again after Steven Rigg pounced on the rebound.
The best chance of the half for the side from Northern Ireland fell to Andy Waterworth, but he totally miscued.
Yet, despite the goals drought, it was smashing entertainment for the crowd of 2,358, of which 1,027 were Linfield fans.
Queens were much the better team but just could not get the ball in the net, even when Dykes was clean through with time to beat the goalkeeper but allowed him to make a save - on four occasions - to force the game into extra-time.
Eleven minutes into the extra half-hour, Dykes eventually got it right and rounded Carroll to score.
Dobbie put the final polish on the win with a fabulous free-kick that curled in at Carroll's right post.
Queen of the South striker Stephen Dobbie: "It was a great game. They came over from Ireland and put in a fantastic performance.
"Roy Carroll is a man of steel in goal there and we finally wore them down I think.
"It's great for the competition to have a couple of Irish and Welsh teams. It gives it something different from the league and Scottish Cup all the time.
"Whatever trophy you are in, you want to win it and this Irn-Bru Cup is no exception and look at all those fans from Ireland - it is a big attraction to Scottish football.
"I love the club and the club loves me and it shows in my football."
Linfield goalkeeper Roy Carroll: "Coming here, you're going to have to make saves.
"You are playing a full-time team here and they are top of the Championship.
"But the players worked hard and had a few chances in the first half, but at the end of it, Queen of the South's fitness showed.
"It was a great free-kick for the second one, but credit to Linfield - the support here was unbelievable and the work-rate was unavailable.
"It is great for players to come over from the Irish League and see how far they can go."


Louis Smith has won his second Strictly Come Dancing title after triumphing in the 2014 Christmas special.

The Olympic gymnastic silver medallist, who won Strictly in 2012, earned his latest success on the night that Sir Bruce Forsyth returned to the show.
Smith and professional partner Aliona Vilani earned a perfect score of 40 points from the judges for their quickstep to Jingle Bells.
They won after the judges' and studio audience's scores were combined.
Smith competed against other contestants from previous series - Rachel Stevens, Lisa Riley, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Chris Hollins and Russell Grant.
The 25-year-old said of his win: "It's a nice present, I am not going to lie! We've had such a fun time although the first week of rehearsals was hard.
"But since then we have just been chilling out, laughing and giggling, messing around on the dance floor, it's been really good fun."
The contestants and judges adopted the roles of pantomime characters.
Sir Bruce, who stepped down as the regular weekly host of the programme this year, came back to present the show with Tess Daly and also sang a version of Winter Wonderland.


At this time of year, Blackpool's illuminated mile sparkles with neon self-confidence.

But take in the view from the 19th floor of a council tower block in the Queen's Park district, and the town takes on a decidedly monochrome quality.
For parts of this town appear to be stuck in an earlier era.
A myriad of bed and breakfast hotels still display "no vacancies" signs between lacy net curtains, advertise rooms "en suite", and promise the delights of "colour" television.
But this year, for once, Blackpool is in the vanguard of social change.
According to experts from Sheffield Hallam University, the government's welfare changes have hit harder here than anywhere else in Britain.
When those changes came in six months ago, their report predicted that, on average, adults of working age in the town would lose £910 a year.
That compares with an average loss across the country of £470.
The government also forecast that more people would be affected by the housing benefits changes in the North West than anywhere else.
"Those figures don't surprise me at all," says Melvyn Holmes, a former miner who now cares for his disabled wife in a Blackpool council house.
Because their two children have left home, they have lost £80 a month from their housing benefit, as a result of the end of the spare room subsidy.
For the first time they also have to pay £20 a month towards their council tax, making them at least £1,200 a year worse off.
"We were all right until the bedroom tax started," he says.
Struggling to cope with debts of up to £5,000, they have now applied for a smaller house, just as the government had hoped.
"It's diabolical," says Melvyn.
"They're trying to force people out of their homes. We've been here for 20 years, but now we're being forced out."
The changes to council tax benefit have also hit Blackpool particularly hard, as the council decided to pass on most of the 10% shortfall in government grant to its residents.
Mike Clague, a former RAF chef whose 19th floor flat has such a spectacular view, is having to find £15 a month extra.
"It doesn't sound much," he says. "But on top of all the other bills, it's a lot."
He has had to cut back on food as a result. Chocolate has become a once-a-week treat.
In Blackpool even those on jobseeker's allowance (JSA) have to find an extra £206 a year.
Many people have not yet paid anything.
"We recently had a huge influx of clients for non-payment of that money," says Julia Hannaford of Blackpool Citizens Advice.
"In one week we saw 40 people."
For those that are paying, the extra outgoings have stretched household budgets. Half the council tenants in Blackpool are behind with their rent.
In two or three cases, the local housing association has now obtained suspended possession orders, the first stage in the eviction process.
Elsewhere in the North West there are already some striking memorials to the first six months of the benefits changes: the houses that no one wants.
In Sefton, on an estate once known as Beirut, there are roads where dozens of people have moved out.
One resident of Daley Road points out 10 empty houses in her street.
"They don't even bother to board them up anymore," she tells me.
"It's all because of the bedroom tax. Nobody wants a three bedroom place anymore."
On this part of Merseyside, community workers also report that, since April, more people are having their benefits temporarily stopped.
JSA claimants, for example, now have to prove that they are job hunting, by applying online.
But not all are computer literate.
Ann Morris, a development worker in Litherland, says that as a result many parents can no longer afford to buy school uniforms.
She and her colleagues have set up a uniform bank to help.
"They all want their kids to go back to school with new uniforms. But some have benefit sanctions, so they just don't have the money," she says.
Carol Wilson, a carer from the Tuebrook area of Liverpool, was herself sanctioned earlier in the year.
She lost one week's Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), as a result of being in hospital.
Since April she has also had to find £80 a month as a result of having a spare room, and £9 a month extra for council tax.
Along with all claimants, she has also been affected by the 1% cap on annual benefits increases.
She, her partner, and her son now share their bath-water to try to economise.
"I never thought I'd see the day that we'd all get in and share a bath. A treat is getting in the bath first."
And she stretches a pot of stew, known as scouse, so that it lasts for three days.
"You just add potatoes each day. When the meat runs out, it's known as "blind scouse".
Blind scouse is certainly making a comeback in Liverpool at the moment, she says.
All along the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has insisted that the changes are not about saving money, but about encouraging more people into work.
Indeed since claimants were warned about the cap on total benefits back in April, the DWP says more than 15,000 have been helped to find jobs.
"Since April we have made great strides delivering our reforms," a DWP spokesman told the BBC.
"The rollout of universal credit and personal independence payments have begun, reforms to housing benefit are making the system fairer and the benefit cap is now in place across the country."
The government also says it has cut income tax for 25 million people, saving a typical taxpayer £700 a year.
It claims the typical household will also save £600 as a result of council tax being frozen for five years.
And even among those hit by benefit cuts, there are those who support the principles of the reforms.
"I do think it's right that people should be in work if they can be," says Carol Wilson.
"And I don't think being on benefits should be too comfortable.
"Whilst I would like more, the country is in a crisis. And I cope with what I have," she says.


A man was spat at and abused over his Welsh accent in Manchester city centre.

The incident took place after the victim said "no" when asked if he had a cigarette by two men on Oldham Street at 20:25 GMT on Wednesday.
Greater Manchester Police revealed details of the "hate crime" on Twitter.
The force said officers were looking at CCTV and offering support to the victim.


UK researchers say they have found a new way to tell if a heart attack is more severe and might cause lasting harm - by looking for bruising or bleeding in the heart muscle.

Patients with this sign on scans more often develop serious problems like heart failure, says the Glasgow team.
It's hoped the discovery could help with preventing such complications.
Half a million UK people have heart failure and heart attacks are the leading cause.
Heart failure can leave people unable to do simple everyday tasks, such as climbing the stairs.
Symptoms occur because the damaged heart doesn't have enough strength to pump blood around the body efficiently.
This makes the person breathless, tired and, untreated, means fluid can gather in the legs and lungs.
There are drugs that can help, but these have to be taken long-term.
Some people with heart failure may need heart surgery too.
The British Heart Foundation-funded work followed just over 200 patients to see how well they fared in the hours, weeks and months after being admitted to hospital with a heart attack.
The researchers, who are presenting their work at a heart conference in Manchester, ran extra tests on the patients while they were in hospital.
Prof Colin Berry and his team found that patients who had signs of bleeding in their heart muscle were more likely to develop later complications than patients who didn't have this damage.
This type of knowledge could ultimately help when doctors are deciding what treatment they should give and how long the patient should be closely monitored, says Prof Berry, research director at the Golden Jubilee National Hospital in Clydebank, Scotland.
He suspects the bleeds may partly be caused by the blood-thinning drugs that doctors need to give to patients to treat a heart attack. Heart attacks occur when the main blood vessels supplying the heart get blocked by a clot.
Prof Berry says the tiny blood vessels in the heart muscle tissue itself can also get blocked, and this makes them leaky.
He says nearly half of heart attack patients probably have some bleeding or bruising of the heart - although not all of them will develop heart failure.
"This might explain why patients who have had effective treatment for their heart attack can still have adverse outcomes.
"We now know heart muscle bleeding is an adverse complication that we want to avoid," he said.
His team is now investigating whether there might be a better way to treat patients who have had a more severe heart attack - by injecting blood-thinning or clot-busting drugs directly into the heart's blood vessels rather than intravenously, for example.
Spotting a heart attack
Not everyone experiences the same symptoms, but common ones include:
Chest pain - this may feel like pressure or squeezing and can radiate from the chest to the jaw, neck, arms and back
Shortness of breath
Feeling weak and/or lightheaded
It is important to seek urgent medical help if you think you or someone you know is having a heart attack because prompt treatment saves lives


Jessica Ennis-Hill has retired from athletics with Olympic gold and silver medals and two World Championship crowns to show for a stunning heptathlon career.

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The 30-year-old Briton, one of three home champions at the Olympic Stadium on London 2012's 'Super Saturday', took time out of the sport after the Games to have her son, Reggie, before returning to regain the world title just 13 months after his birth. She announced her retirement on Thursday, calling it "one of the toughest decisions I've had to make".
We asked you, the BBC Sport audience, to submit suggestions, line by line, for an ode to the Sheffield-born star. You delivered to #OdetoJess in your droves.
-----
Jess, much have you travell'd in the realms of gold,
You've been an inspiration to those both young and old,
Sheffield's finest, a woman of steel,
You've shown many an athlete a clean pair of heels.
-----
The pride of a nation, you've carried with dignity,
And impressed the world with your peerless ability,
We've followed your highs, on the edge of our seats,
We screamed at the telly - to help you compete.
-----
The battles, tears and victories,
Your place in Britain's history,
Your strength and smiles as bright as the sun,
Running with you, we always won.
-----
Much have you travell'd in the realms of gold…
Your journey is legend which will forever be told.
-----
With thanks to @hilsjbils, @imBeamed, @danlechief, @lRoberthammo, @MalcBoughen, @NCCMagpie, @dejibus, @AbiGoulding13, @AmandaRamsay, @serbian_tank and @Sp0rtz_Fan.


Thousands of people heading to Cardiff have been warned about road closures and changes to train services ahead of the half marathon championships.

More than 17,000 competitors - including double Olympic champion Mo Farah - will take part in Saturday's 13.1m (21km) IAAF/Cardiff University World Half Marathon.
And 100,000 spectators are expected to pour into the city.
A travel guide has been created by Cardiff council for race day.
Network Rail said improvement works to the Cardiff and Valleys railway line - part of a Â£40bn redevelopment across the UK - will begin after 21:00 GMT on Saturday to allow spectators and competitors to travel home.
However, the works will  then run until into Tuesday, with Cardiff council warning those staying in the city overnight to be aware.
"Many local services into and out of Cardiff will be affected with bus replacements in operation, diversions will also be in place via different routes and trains will start and terminate from different stations," a spokesman said.
"Customers using local rail services during this period are advised to check journey plans before travelling."
The work includes upgrading track and signalling on the railway in and around Cardiff Central station, which will help to improve the reliability of the rail services in the area.
Rolling road closures at Cardiff civic centre began on Monday so the finishing area could be built. On the day, roads will be shut around Cardiff from the late morning until the evening.
Some Cardiff Bus services will also be diverted or changed for a time.
The women's elite race sets off outside Cardiff Castle at 13:35 with the men's elite and mass participation races starting at 14:10.
Farah, who won gold in the 10,000m and 5,000m at the World Championships in Beijing, will join the race as part of the Great Britain and Northern Ireland team.
He is vying to become the Britain's first male winner in the event's 24-year history.
BBC One Wales and BBC Radio Cymru will provide live coverage.


Two men have been charged with murdering a teenager during a fight in Birmingham.

Sheriff Mbye, 18, died in hospital from multiple knife wounds sustained in a "scuffle" on Bristol Road South, in Northfield, on Friday evening.
Rakeem Riley, 18, of no fixed address, was arrested on Friday and Omar Robinson, 21, was arrested at his home in Rann Close, Ladywood, on Sunday.
The pair are due before Birmingham Magistrates' Court on Tuesday morning.
Police said they were still keen to speak to a woman seen pushing a child in a pushchair along Bristol Road South around the time of the stabbing and the occupants of a blue Fiat Punto.
A 19-year-old man also stabbed in the incident remains in a "critical but stable" condition in hospital.


Mourners at the funeral of Billy McConville have spoken of his strength and compassion.

Mr McConville, whose mother Jean McConville was murdered by the IRA in 1972, died at the weekend from cancer.
After his mother was abducted he was taken in care aged six.
In 2014, Mr McConville told the Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry he had been abused by some De La Salle Brothers and physically abused by a lay teacher in Rubane House, County Down.
Despite his "lifelong nightmare", a priest told mourners he laughed and bantered to the end.
Mr McConville was 50 when he died.
Jean McConville was murdered and secretly buried on a beach in County Louth by the IRA. Her body was not found until 2003.
Mr McConville's funeral was held in St Paul's in west Belfast.
His daughter Aime said he was "strong and unbelievably brave".
"You built your bridges to everyone and you brought your family back together," she said.
"Rest in peace dad, I love you and I will miss you."
Fr Patrick McCafferty said the abduction of his mother had been the "cruellest of misdeeds".
He also called on politicians to implement the findings of the Historical Institutional Abuse public inquiry.
"They must do so, immediately, as a matter of urgency," he said.
"All of society has an obligation to make reparation to these sisters and brothers of ours, who were so deeply wounded during their tender years."
Former First Minister Peter Robison has also called for immediate action to compensate abuse victims after payments recommended by the inquiry were delayed due to Stormont's collapse.


A message in a bottle that travelled from Northern Ireland to the Mediterranean arrived by air, not sea.

The note from Bangor, County Down, did not make the freak journey of 2,000 nautical miles to the coast of Menorca as first thought.
A schoolboy from Northern Ireland, Adam Burke, threw the bottle in the water on Monday while on holiday in Menorca.
On Thursday a different Adam Burke said he thought it was one he had thrown into the sea at Bangor 13 years ago.
So why was there the confusion?
It all stems from the Bangor connection.
The note that Spaniard Albert Voltas found on Tuesday in a bottle off the coast near the town of Ciutadella said: "Hello from Bangor N.I. from Adam Burke age 7."
The Spanish holidaymaker put out a global social media message to try to track down the Adam Burke in question.
After the message was shared thousands of times, Adam Burke, 20, from County Tyrone, thought it was his bottle. He remembered throwing a message in a bottle into the sea in Bangor 13 years ago when on a day trip with his grandparents.
He contacted the media and did a number of interviews.
When the family of another Adam Burke saw the media coverage, they realised it was actually their bottle. It had not been in the sea for 13 years - but only 24 hours.
This particular Adam Burke is seven years of age, and lives in Portadown.
So why does the note in the bottle say 'Hello from Bangor'?
His father, Gregory, takes up the story: "Adam and his friends Alex, Evan and Lewis were at a maritime festival in Bangor last month and made the bottles.
"When he got home, Adam realised he'd forgotten to throw his bottle in the water.
"We live in Portadown, nowhere near the sea, so we decided to wait until we went on holiday to Menorca. He threw it in the sea on Monday.
"It's definitely Adam's bottle. I got him to write out the note again just to check it was the same handwriting!"
As for the other Adam Burke, he is disappointed and accepts it is not his bottle.
He said: "It's just been a genuine coincidence. A lot of people threw bottles in the sea when they were younger, particularly in Bangor.
"It turns out the one in Menorca wasn't mine after all."
The bad news for Albert Voltas is that the washed-up bottle he thought had travelled 2,000 miles in the sea probably only travelled a mere 200 metres.
Yes, it did come all the way from Northern Ireland, but the majority of that journey was in a suitcase in a holiday jet.


Wales head coach Warren Gatland says there are six places up for grabs in the final 31-man World Cup squad.

An experimental Wales side lost their first warm-up match 35-21 to Ireland in Cardiff on Saturday.
Gatland will cut the 46-man squad to "36 or 38" this week, before reducing it further on 31 August.
"We've probably got half a dozen places in our minds, we're not too sure about when we do finally select the squad," said Gatland.
"There are going to be some tough calls and we will see how training goes next week.
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"Some players will need to have a pretty good look at their game."
Gatland selected an inexperienced team against Ireland that included four debutants in Ross Moriarty, Dominic Day, Tyler Morgan and Eli Walker.
The squad will travel to north Wales for another training camp this week and Gatland says the defeat by Ireland will have a bearing on his decision-making when he cuts the squad.
"This was an opportunity for a lot of players to go out there and perform so it will definitely have some relevance," he said.
"It was a bit hard for Tyler Morgan. He would have learnt a huge amount from that.
"You've go to put that down to experience. I remember Jonathan Davies came out here against Australia and he looked like a rabbit in the headlights.
"He got better from that and I'm sure Tyler will learn from that experience and Hallam Amos as well."
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There was also a first cap for New Zealand born fly-half Gareth Anscombe, who replaced James Hook.
"I thought the two half-backs who came on did really well," added Gatland.
"Gareth Anscombe played nice and flat, taking the line."
Gatland confirmed that centre and stand-in captain Scott Williams was replaced as a precautionary measure to guard against a "tight calf".


A French judge has dropped his warrant for the arrest of Ivory Coast's speaker of parliament, Guillaume Soro, according to his lawyers.

The judge lifted the warrant following proof he is on official business in Paris, giving him diplomatic immunity.
The arrest warrant was for not turning up to a 2012 Paris court case brought by the ex-Ivorian president's son.
Michel Gbagbo accuses Mr Soro's forces of kidnapping and torturing him, which he denies.
Mr Soro commanded a rebel force which fought the ex-president.
Michel Gbabo claims he was kidnapped after the capture of his father, Laurent, in 2011.
He was able to bring the case to a French court because he has dual French and Ivorian citizenship.
Mr Soro had travelled to France to attend the UN climate summit COP21 when the arrest warrant was issued.
Ivory Coast's Foreign Minister Charles Koffi Diby said he had written to the French government to protest that the warrant breached international law, and should be annulled.
The parliamentary speaker is one of only a handful of people facing investigation from the current President Ouattara's side of the conflict.
Hundreds on Mr Gbagbo's side have been investigated, something rights organisations have called one-side justice.
These include Laurent Gbabgo, who has been charged by the International Criminal Court with war crimes - charges he denies.
Some 3,000 people were killed in the five-month conflict in Ivory Coast sparked by Mr Gbagbo's refusal to admit defeat to Mr Ouattara in 2010 elections.


A two-week diet swap experiment hints at just how damaging a Western diet might be to our guts.

Researchers asked people to switch diets for two weeks - 20 US volunteers moved to a low-fat, high-fibre diet while 20 volunteers from rural Africa were asked to eat more "junk" food.
Although the swap was brief, its impact was visible, Nature Communication says.
The Americans benefited from less bowel inflammation, while the African volunteers' bowel health deteriorated.
It is not possible to make any firm conclusions based on such a small study, say experts.
But the findings do support the belief that modern Western diets - which are high in fat and sugar and low in fibre - are bad for us.
Other studies with Japanese migrants to Hawaii have shown that it takes only one generation of Westernisation to change their low incidence of colon cancer to the high rates seen in native Hawaiians.
And research shows a high intake of dietary fibre, particularly cereal and whole grains, reduces bowel cancer risk, while eating red and processed meat increases the risk.
In the diet swap study, the Western-style diet given to the native African volunteers was typical junk or fast food - burgers and fries.
The US volunteers, meanwhile, where switched to a diet containing lots of pulses and beans.
All the participants had a barrage of medical tests before and after the diet change.
The dietary swaps appeared to cause significant changes to the cells lining the gut as well as the bacteria that live in the bowel - with the US volunteers faring better.
Lead researcher Dr Stephen O'Keefe, from the University of Pittsburgh, said: "In just two weeks, a change in diet from a Westernised composition to a traditional African high-fibre, low-fat diet reduced these biomarkers of cancer risk, indicating that it is likely never too late to modify the risk of colon cancer."
Experts estimate that up to a third of bowel cancer cases could be avoided by eating more healthily.
A spokesman for Cancer Research UK said larger and longer term studies were still needed.
"The diet swap was also fairly drastic whereas we know that making small changes you can stick with long-term is far more effective to maintain a healthier lifestyle."


Political prisoners in Uzbekistan suffer "unspeakable abuses", including torture and abysmal jail conditions according to Human Rights Watch.

A new report says that activists, journalists and government critics are locked up for years and often have their sentences extended arbitrarily.
The Uzbek authorities say there are no political prisoners in the country and that torture is being eliminated.
The report looks at the cases of 34 current and 10 former prisoners.
"We have concluded that at least 29 out of these 44 prisoners have alleged credibly that they have been tortured either during the pre-trial custody phase or in prison," Steve Swerdlow, Central Asia researcher at Human Rights Watch, told the BBC.
One case highlighted in the report is that of prominent journalist Muhammad Bekjanov who has been held since 1999.
Mr Bekjanov is the brother of Uzbek opposition leader Muhammad Salih and used to work on the opposition Erk newspaper.
He fled Uzbekistan for Ukraine but was abducted by Uzbek security forces in 1999 following a series of explosions in the Uzbek capital Tashkent which were blamed on the opposition.
His daughter Aygul - 18 at the time - told the BBC the family was in shock when they discovered what had happened.
"Inside the flat we saw the signs of a struggle. Everything was broken, all the furniture was smashed. Our family and personal photographs had disappeared. We couldn't believe our eyes."
Aygul Bekjanova says she has not seen her father since then, but that her mother visited him two years ago and found him in a terrible state, suffering from TB and with most of his teeth missing.
"My mum says she could not recognise him. He had lost weight to such an extent - he was like skin stretched over bones."
Ms Bekjanova says her father was so severely beaten during one interrogation that his leg broke.
"He told my mother that once prison guards formed two rows, forced him to walk between them while they were indiscriminately beating him with sticks," she said. "Afterwards they left him on the concrete floor for four days without food or water, lying there covered in blood."
Mr Bekjanov was due for release in 2012, but just before that date his sentence was extended by five years for breaking prison rules.
Human Rights Watch says that such methods are a regular occurrence.
"We documented here that the Uzbek government has a policy of extending the sentences of political prisoners on absurd, farcical, completely baseless grounds which they call violation of prison rules," Steve Swerdlow says.
In one case the violations included "incorrectly peeling carrots" in the prison kitchen, according to HRW.
The allegations of torture in the report are serious and include simulated suffocation, beatings, electric shock, hanging by wrists and ankles, as well as threats of rape.
Human Rights Watch says that the prisoners include people who have tried to uncover corruption or seek democratic reforms in a state regarded as one of the region's most authoritarian.
"Uzbekistan should immediately and unconditionally release everyone imprisoned on politically motivated charges, stop arbitrarily extending prison sentences and put a stop to torture in prison," Human Rights Watch says.
Uzbekistan routinely denies that there are political prisoners in its jails. Its officials say that torture is being eliminated and that some officers accused of torture have been prosecuted.


Police in Senegal have detained 900 people as part of a security operation following militant attacks in Burkina Faso and Mali.

The detentions, which were not terror-related, took place over the weekend in the capital Dakar and Thies.
The assaults on a hotel in Mali and a hotel and restaurant in Burkina Faso, both claimed by Islamists, have raised security fears in the region.
Senegal has been comparatively safe but is a popular tourist destination.
Last week the Senegalese government ordered hotels to improve security or face closure.
Senegalese security forces would also step up patrols, the interior minister said.
Eyewitnesses report that presence is already being felt, with police being seen in higher numbers and many vehicles searched.
Those detained over the weekend were not targeted as terror suspects but as part of the wider security alert, officials said.
Their offences ranged from possessing drugs to having incorrect documents for their vehicles, according to the authorities.
"Security has been reinforced on all levels,'' justice ministry spokesman Soro Diop was quoted as saying by the Associated Press.
Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) said it was behind the attack in Burkina Faso's capital, Ouagadougou, last month that killed 30 people.
The Islamist militant group also claimed the siege on the Radisson Blu hotel in Mali's capital, Bamako, in November last year, that left 20 people dead.
AQIM is based in the Sahara Desert and roams between Mali, Niger and Algeria.
Senegal has so far avoided a major attack by Islamist militants, despite sharing a border with Mali.


Vietnam says it has granted amnesty to more than 18,000 prisoners to mark the country's 70th anniversary of independence from France.

Thousands convicted of murder or drug-related offences will go free, while 34 foreigners are also among those given amnesty.
However, observers say political prisoners are not expected to be freed.
Tens of thousands of prisoners have been granted presidential amnesties since 2009.
Deputy Minister of Public Security Le Quy Vuong said no one guilty of "crimes against national security" would be released.
The government also said that the amnesty showed the ruling Communist Party's "humanitarian nature" and would help inmates "become useful citizens".
Human rights groups and some western governments have criticised Vietnam for jailing dissidents, and say more than 100 political activists remain behind bars.


Shares of US flooring retailer Lumber Liquidators have fallen almost 20% after authorities said its laminate flooring was linked to a heightened risk of cancer.

The risk was three times higher than the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) previously estimated.
Last year a news report uncovered a high level of cancer-causing chemicals in the company's flooring.
Lumber Liquidators stopped selling Chinese-made laminate flooring in May.
An earlier CDC report estimates the risk of cancer was between two and nine people in 100,000. The updated report estimates that risk to be between six and 30 people in 100,000.
Lumber Liquidators said it had worked to improve "quality assurance procedures" including testing of new products.
The floorboards in question contain high levels of the carcinogen formaldehyde. The CDC said it had used an incorrect ceiling height that lead it to underestimate the impact of airborne concentration of the formaldehyde.
Shares fell $2.82 to $11.39 in New York.


The Conservatives will not retreat in their support for gay rights because of their pact with the Democratic Unionists, Theresa May has insisted.

The prime minister told LBC Radio her party had come a long way on issues such as gay marriage, while her own attitudes had changed over the years.
There would be no "going back", and the Tories would continue to defend LGBT rights and extend them where possible.
The DUP is opposed to equal marriage and same-sex couples adopting children.
Some Conservatives have expressed reservations about their party's parliamentary deal with the DUP - which will allow Mrs May to govern and pass key legislation after she failed to win an overall majority at the election.
Mrs May, who is holding a reception later to mark the 50th anniversary of legislation decriminalising homosexuality, said she did not agree with the DUP on a number of social issues but the alliance would not affect existing equality or discrimination laws or stop the Conservatives from seeking to advance them.
In the LBC interview, Mrs May - whose father was a vicar - spoke of the impression left on her after attending a same-sex marriage in her Maidenhead constituency, witnessing a couple tie the knot who would otherwise have had to travel to South Africa to get married.
"It is seeing people having, you know, their lives changed and... being able to take a different approach to their lives because of the government passing legislation like that that I think has been so important," she said.
"I think if you look at what has happened over the years, you will see a change that's taken place in the Conservative Party and in individuals.
"I'll be honest, my attitude on a number of issues has changed over the years as well."
As an opposition MP, Mrs May voted against reducing the age of consent for gay people, the repeal of Section 28 and civil partnerships, but as home secretary and minister for women and equalities she played a key role in steering the legalisation of same-sex marriage through Parliament.
While she understood people's concerns about the DUP's stance on several issues, she said, she had a duty to form a stable government and there were many areas of agreement such as counter-terrorism and the future of the Union.
"The Conservative Party has not gone back," she said.
"We will continue to push forward, to enhance LGBT rights and we are pleased with what we have been able to do so far, but want to do more.
"And that will not be changed by our relationship with the DUP."
Asked whether she would now support Anglican vicars being able to bless same-sex marriages in church, Mrs May said this was a matter for the Church of England.
But she added: "The Church of England has itself come a distance in terms of looking at these issues. And obviously they will want to reflect as attitudes more generally change, as society changes."
In an article for Pink News, Mrs May said that while it remained a matter for the devolved government in Northern Ireland, she would supported legalising equal marriage, believing that LGBT people should have the same rights there as they enjoyed in the rest of the United Kingdom.
She also said the government would "review" legislation to allow transgender people to legally change their gender, amid calls from Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn to do away with the medical checks currently required in order for people to legally transition.
"We must tackle transphobic bullying and make sure that transgender rights are supported," she wrote.
"That is exactly why we are reviewing the Gender Recognition Act. We intend to make an announcement very soon on the action we will take."


When David Cameron heads to the House of Lords for the Queen's Speech later this month he might want to cast his eye along the red benches.

Sitting there will be scores of peers who - when the ermine robes are off and Parliament gets back to business - could start causing a bit of trouble for the government.
Managing Mr Cameron's small majority in the Commons - 12 MPs - is going to require some skill from the party whips. But it could turn out to be an easy day at the office compared with handling the complicated mechanics of the Lords where the Conservatives aren't even close to a majority.
The numbers - see below - don't add up for the prime minister in the "upper chamber".
Together, Labour and the Lib Dems have 315 peers - enough to beat the Conservatives by 91 votes. Then there are the crossbench - or independent - peers to think about.
They're hard to predict as they don't vote as a block.  In the worst-case scenario for the Conservatives, their 224 peers are up against a whopping 555 from other parties and groups. On the other hand the crossbenchers could, in theory, help the Conservatives win.
As Professor Meg Russell, Director of the Constitution Unit at University College London, notes: "The Conservatives are in a relatively weak position in the Lords, holding less than a third of seats. The government can readily be defeated by various combinations of other forces."
Policies that could stir up objections in the Lords include abolishing the Human Rights Act and legislation paving the way for an EU referendum.
It's very unusual for peers to vote against an entire Bill. Their style is to go through legislation amending bits they don't like. The government can either accept the changes or overturn them in the Commons.
Maybe David Cameron will start wishing he'd pushed on with plans, three years ago, to introduce elected peers. He abandoned the proposals in the face of opposition from Conservative MPs and peers. It was another reprieve for the House of Lords, which has survived numerous attempts at reform over the last 100 years.
And there won't be another existential crisis for the time being. The Conservative election manifesto states that they see a "strong case" for introducing an "elected element" but "it isn't a priority in the next Parliament".
With wounds to lick and new leaders to choose, Lib Dem and Labour strategists aren't thinking too deeply about their tactics in the  Lords. But as politicians drift back to Westminster the possibilities are starting to bleep on the political radar.
Labour peer Lord Foulkes has already been tweeting about what he calls the "difficult job" facing the Leader of the Lords, Baroness Stowell, whose task is to get government business through.
He predicts "interesting times", saying: "Labour and the Liberal Democrats have a huge majority over the Conservatives. The crossbenchers are unpredictable but on a number of occasions they have come with us. The Lib Dems in the Lords are old-fashioned Lib Dems. They'll be happier working with us than the Tories."
The Liberal Democrats are leading lights in the campaign to turn the House of Lords into an elected chamber. It's a cruel irony that with only eight MPs, the Lib Dems will be relying on an institution they dislike to give them a solid platform at Westminster.
How will they get along with their former coalition partners though? The Lib Dem peer, Baroness Hussein-Ece, said the Conservatives were now "off the leash" but wouldn't be getting "an easy ride".
"The dynamics are going to be completely different. We will take things on a policy-by-policy basis. I feel quite passionately about keeping the Human Rights Act and I'm pretty sure that my colleagues will be opposing abolition vociferousIy."
But David Cameron can take some comfort from the fact that the Lib Dems will not be falling into Labour's arms.
Baroness Hussein-Ece is certain there will be issues the two parties can agree on but is equally sure they will not form a happy union as a matter of course.
She said: "I'm afraid that the Labour Party is more interested in tribal politics. It could have conducted itself in a more progressive way during the election."
In the last Parliament, the coalition government was defeated 103 times in the Lords and a Labour source in the Lords predicts that the Conservatives will "want to make up for lost time".
He said: "What we anticipate is that they will start to look back at the concessions they made and the opposition amendments that got through."
And the feeling is that the government will find ways to use secondary legislation - which empowers ministers to adjust some laws.
By convention, the House of Lords is reluctant to challenge policies promised in election manifestos and doesn't vote against measures on taxation and spending. But Professor Russell thinks the rules around those conventions are "far from clear" and that Labour and the Lib Dems might be tempted to block what they see as Conservative "austerity" measures.
Meg Russell says: "The House of Lords is a complicated place. Historically at least, they have always been very sensitive to public opinion. They are not likely to go in all guns blazing."
How can David Cameron deal with trouble in the Lords - even if it is well-meaning and principled?
He can't get rid of any peers but he could, in theory, create a huge number of new Conservative peers to give him a stronger base.
"There are no rules," Meg Russell adds of the possibility. "The prime minister has complete patronage. But of course it wouldn't go down well with the  public and there would be an outcry in Parliament."
And introducing too many new peers would also be embarrassing because the Conservatives have promised to tackle the size of the chamber. With 779 active members, it's one of the largest in the world.
The Conservative Lord Cormack thinks that the prime minister shouldn't worry too much because he can rely on the Lords to behave "with a considerable degree of sense".
"There will be stormy patches and it's always over the things that you don't predict," he says. "But the important thing to do is play to the strengths of the Lords. There's an enormous accumulation of wisdom and experience. It generally improves bills."
He is relaxed about the next few years. "I don't anticipate any unpleasantness. For the government to be defeated in the House of Lords isn't the end of the world." And that's because, he said, the Lords believes in the supremacy of the Commons.
It may be a while before the new dynamics in the Lords play out. The first bills will be unveiled in the Queen's Speech on 27th May and any controversial ones may not reach the House of Lords until after the summer break.
But there's one other constitutional niggle to mention. In theory, all parties should be represented in the House of Lords - even the small ones. The Greens have one peer and UKIP has three.
But there are no members of the SNP in the House of Lords. And with 56 MPs, it means the Lords isn't speaking for millions of people in Scotland. The SNP is adamant, though, that it doesn't want anything to do with the place.
With the Lords potentially a powerful force, are the Scottish Nationalists missing a trick?
Not according to the SNP MP Pete Wishart who declared: "It's an affront to democracy. We will have nothing to do with this democratic outrage. The House of Lords doesn't need reform. We need to abolish it and start again."


A professional diver has been killed by a stingray at an oceanarium in Singapore.

Philip Chan, 62, was heading a team of divers who were removing sea creatures from the Underwater World attraction on Tuesday.
The once-popular marine life park shut down earlier this year.
Police said Mr Chan was taken to hospital where he died from his injuries. They are now investigating the "unnatural death".
A police spokesman said the incident was the first of its kind in Singapore.
More: What are the world's deadliest animals?
An official statement from the Haw Par Corporation, which owns the park, described it as a "tragic accident".
"Mr Chan was one of 10 staff who stayed on to care for the animals while suitable homes were being found," a spokesperson said, adding that the animal transfer programme has been suspended.
"He was a veteran diver, aquarist and animal caregiver who had been caring for the aquatic animals since Underwater World's opening."
Underwater World opened in May 1991 but closed last June after struggling to compete with similar aquarium attractions.
It had faced criticism in the past for keeping rare pink dolphins, some of which had been taken from the wild.
Its animals are being moved to an aquarium in China.
Stingrays are commonly found in tropical waters.
Their razor-sharp barbs, located at the end of their tails, are coated in toxic venom which they often use as a means to defend themselves when threatened.
While the animals' stings are painful, they rarely attack humans.
Wildlife conservation expert Steve Irwin was famously killed by a stingray in 2006 during a diving expedition off the Great Barrier Reef. He was struck in the chest by the stingray's barb.


Wolves ended their three-match losing run with a goal in each half as they beat Birmingham City in the West Midlands derby.

Dave Edwards capitalised on defensive confusion to fire his second goal in successive games from 12 yards.
Sheyi Ojo sealed victory when he curled in a low left-foot shot late on.
On the anniversary of his first year in charge, Gary Rowett's Blues were outplayed as they fell to a third home defeat in four games.
Wolves had lost their previous three games and began nine places behind Blues in the Championship table.
But, in contrast to their last visit to St Andrew's in April, when defeat contributed to them missing out on a play-off place, this time it was Wolves who caused an upset.
But the visitors owed a little to luck with the opening goal.
Blues' Jacques Maghoma tried to block Nathan Byrne's left-wing cross, but it deflected off his shoulder and when the ball bounced it span viciously over the head of Paul Robinson.
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Former Wolves keeper Tomasz Kuszczak saved from Benik Afobe as he attempted to repair Robinson's error of judgement, but the ball fell for Edwards who calmly stroked home left-footed from 12 yards.
Blues did improve in the run-up to the break, but Wolves were worth their half-time lead.
And it was much the same story after the break as Wolves new loan signing Mike Williamson and skipper Danny Batth proved impenetrable to Blues' misfiring attack.
Wolves finally sealed the points six minutes from time when Ojo cut in from the right before sliding his left-foot shot just inside Kuszczak's right-hand post.
Birmingham manager Gary Rowett: "We did not show the quality we required. We needed to be more inventive and show more composure on the ball.
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"Conceding a very poor goal against the run of play didn't help us. That was the disappointing thing for me.
"We have been very solid defensively and not given too much away but the two goals were poor from our point of view and very easy for Wolves to score.
"I have to say Wolves played well and I do not want to take any credit away from them."
Wolves head coach Kenny Jackett: "The three points are important to us. In our previous three games we have been too open and not competitive enough.
"We conceded nine goals in those three games but we restricted Birmingham to only one shot on target.
"We defended well as a team and showed commitment. We got the goals at the right time and hopefully we now have something to build on."
Match ends, Birmingham City 0, Wolverhampton Wanderers 2.
Second Half ends, Birmingham City 0, Wolverhampton Wanderers 2.
Michael Morrison (Birmingham City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Grant Holt (Wolverhampton Wanderers).
Foul by Paul Caddis (Birmingham City).
Sheyi Ojo (Wolverhampton Wanderers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution, Wolverhampton Wanderers. Matt Doherty replaces James Henry.
Attempt blocked. Jon-Miquel Toral (Birmingham City) right footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Jonathan Grounds.
Goal!  Birmingham City 0, Wolverhampton Wanderers 2. Sheyi Ojo (Wolverhampton Wanderers) left footed shot from the right side of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by James Henry following a corner.
Corner,  Wolverhampton Wanderers. Conceded by Tomasz Kuszczak.
Attempt saved. James Henry (Wolverhampton Wanderers) right footed shot from a difficult angle on the right is saved in the centre of the goal.
Attempt missed. David Cotterill (Birmingham City) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the left from a direct free kick.
Clayton Donaldson (Birmingham City) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Danny Batth (Wolverhampton Wanderers).
Foul by Nicolai Brock-Madsen (Birmingham City).
Dominic Iorfa (Wolverhampton Wanderers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution, Wolverhampton Wanderers. Grant Holt replaces Benik Afobe.
Corner,  Wolverhampton Wanderers. Conceded by Paul Caddis.
Attempt blocked. Sheyi Ojo (Wolverhampton Wanderers) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Scott Golbourne.
Substitution, Birmingham City. Nicolai Brock-Madsen replaces David Davis because of an injury.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Delay in match David Davis (Birmingham City) because of an injury.
Corner,  Birmingham City. Conceded by Danny Batth.
Foul by Jon-Miquel Toral (Birmingham City).
Sheyi Ojo (Wolverhampton Wanderers) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Offside, Birmingham City. Stephen Gleeson tries a through ball, but Clayton Donaldson is caught offside.
Attempt missed. Stephen Gleeson (Birmingham City) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the left. Assisted by Jonathan Grounds.
Attempt blocked. Jonathan Grounds (Birmingham City) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by David Cotterill.
Substitution, Wolverhampton Wanderers. Sheyi Ojo replaces Nathan Byrne.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Delay in match Nathan Byrne (Wolverhampton Wanderers) because of an injury.
Stephen Gleeson (Birmingham City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Dave Edwards (Wolverhampton Wanderers).
Attempt missed. Benik Afobe (Wolverhampton Wanderers) right footed shot from the centre of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Kevin McDonald.
Attempt missed. Michael Williamson (Wolverhampton Wanderers) header from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the left. Assisted by James Henry with a cross following a corner.
Corner,  Wolverhampton Wanderers. Conceded by Stephen Gleeson.
Substitution, Birmingham City. Jon-Miquel Toral replaces Jacques Maghoma.
Corner,  Wolverhampton Wanderers. Conceded by Tomasz Kuszczak.
Attempt saved. Kevin McDonald (Wolverhampton Wanderers) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top left corner. Assisted by Nathan Byrne.
Attempt blocked. Jacques Maghoma (Birmingham City) right footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked. Assisted by David Cotterill.


Sam Byram hit a late low strike to end Nottingham Forest's winning home run and give Leeds a point.

Byram, who could leave the club next month, drove in from 25 yards to score with Leeds' first shot on target.
Earlier Nelson Oliveira took advantage of a mix-up in the Leeds defence to give Forest the lead.
Leeds dominated possession throughout but were poor in front of goal until Byram's strike, while Forest sub Oliver Burke hit the post in the 90th minute.
A Forest winner would have been hard on Leeds, who became the first team to take a point from the City Ground since late October.
The visitors looked slick on the ball early on but were undone by Matt Mills' long ball over the top. Centre-back Giuseppe Bellusci and goalkeeper Marco Silvestri both failed to clear, allowing Oliveira to go on and tap into an empty net.
Mills then had a header cleared off the line by Luke Murphy, and Forest substitute Jamie Ward had a shot turned over by Silvestri before Leeds mounted a late challenge.
Byram, whose contract expires at the end of the season and is expected to be sold in January, picked the ball up in space in a central area and shot low into the corner.
Leeds substitute Mirco Antenucci then sliced badly wide as Steve Evans' side came to life, with Chris Wood fluffing a close-range effort straight at Dorus de Vries.
It was Forest who came closer to winning a sixth home Championship game in a row though when Burke's miscued volley beat Silvestri and hit the base of the post.
The draw extends both sides' unbeaten records and leaves Leeds in 12th and Forest 13th in the Championship table - seven and eight points behind the play-off places respectively.
Nottingham Forest boss Dougie Freedman talking to the club website:
"I was trying to go and win the game two or three-nil because that's the only way you can beat Leeds. Doing so, I increase my chances of losing but also of winning.
"We felt if we had a good structure we could hit them on the counter attack. I felt it was a gameplan that was working.
"Credit to Leeds, their fans demand their team goes for 95 minutes and they did that. I didn't see my goalkeeper get worked too much. Of course we're disappointed with the goal but it was a fantastic strike."
Leeds manager Steve Evans on Sky Sports:
"If it's a boxing match the towel would have come in. For all our dominance we made a mistake on the breakaway.
"Some of our play in the second half was exceptional. We opened them up a number of times and on another day we go on to win.
"I am a manager that wants the lads to be brave and pass it, I am going to encourage them to keep trying to pass it."
Match ends, Nottingham Forest 1, Leeds United 1.
Second Half ends, Nottingham Forest 1, Leeds United 1.
Attempt missed. Liam Cooper (Leeds United) left footed shot from the centre of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Luke Murphy following a set piece situation.
Charlie Taylor (Leeds United) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Eric Lichaj (Nottingham Forest).
Substitution, Leeds United. Lewie Coyle replaces Sam Byram.
Attempt missed. Luke Murphy (Leeds United) right footed shot from the left side of the box is close, but misses the top right corner.
Corner,  Leeds United. Conceded by Eric Lichaj.
Liam Bridcutt (Leeds United) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Robert Tesche (Nottingham Forest).
Oliver Burke (Nottingham Forest) hits the left post with a right footed shot from outside the box.
Attempt blocked. Jamie Ward (Nottingham Forest) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Nélson Oliveira.
Attempt missed. Jamie Ward (Nottingham Forest) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the right. Assisted by Oliver Burke.
Foul by Souleymane Doukara (Leeds United).
Oliver Burke (Nottingham Forest) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Attempt saved. Chris Wood (Leeds United) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Mirco Antenucci with a cross.
Offside, Leeds United. Mirco Antenucci tries a through ball, but Sam Byram is caught offside.
Attempt missed. Mirco Antenucci (Leeds United) left footed shot from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Scott Wootton.
Substitution, Nottingham Forest. Oliver Burke replaces David Vaughan.
Offside, Nottingham Forest. Jamie Ward tries a through ball, but Eric Lichaj is caught offside.
Ben Osborn (Nottingham Forest) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Sam Byram (Leeds United) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Ben Osborn (Nottingham Forest).
Goal!  Nottingham Forest 1, Leeds United 1. Sam Byram (Leeds United) right footed shot from outside the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Souleymane Doukara.
Offside, Nottingham Forest. Jamie Ward tries a through ball, but Nélson Oliveira is caught offside.
Substitution, Leeds United. Mirco Antenucci replaces Stuart Dallas.
Stuart Dallas (Leeds United) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by David Vaughan (Nottingham Forest).
Attempt blocked. Nélson Oliveira (Nottingham Forest) left footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Matt Mills.
Attempt missed. Matt Mills (Nottingham Forest) header from the centre of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Jamie Ward with a cross following a corner.
Corner,  Nottingham Forest. Conceded by Marco Silvestri.
Attempt saved. Jamie Ward (Nottingham Forest) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top centre of the goal. Assisted by Nélson Oliveira.
Chris Wood (Leeds United) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by David Vaughan (Nottingham Forest).
Giuseppe Bellusci (Leeds United) is shown the yellow card.
Henri Lansbury (Nottingham Forest) is shown the yellow card.
Foul by Liam Bridcutt (Leeds United).
Nélson Oliveira (Nottingham Forest) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Substitution, Nottingham Forest. Robert Tesche replaces Chris O'Grady.
Luke Murphy (Leeds United) wins a free kick in the defensive half.


A gunman on the back of a motorbike shot a man in a suspected drive-by shooting on London's Waterloo Bridge.

Three men were arrested after a black Ford Focus was shot at, at about 20:00 GMT on Friday.
A 22-year-old man was taken to an east London hospital with head injuries, but has since been discharged.
The arrested men, believed to be 22, 23 and 24, are being held on suspicion of firearm offences.
Police said the bridge's southbound carriageway was closed until about 02:00.
Scotland Yard's Trident gang crime unit is investigating the shooting.
London Ambulance said the victim was "conscious and breathing" at the scene.
Student Ben Jackson said he saw the aftermath of the shooting as he walked down The Strand, in central London.
"The area was cordoned off and there were lots of people around," said the 21-year-old.
"I saw three men being led away in handcuffs by police."


The family of 19-year-old Anglesey biker who was killed in a collision with a 4x4 car say they are "devastated and numb with shock".

Ben Calveley, from the Carmel area of Llanerchymedd, died in the collision with a black Nissan Navara on Sunday.
Mr Calveley, who was riding a blue Suzuki motorbike, was pronounced dead at the scene.
His family said: "Ben was killed on a road he knew well, that we all regularly use as a family."
The crash happened on the B5109 between Bodffordd and Llynfaes at around 01:00 BST.
Mr Calveley's parents, Simon and Delyth, sister Clare, younger brother Dion and girlfriend Stephanie said in a statement: "Travelling on that road will always be difficult from now on. We visited the scene today to lay flowers.
"We just can't believe what's happened - it seems so unreal at the moment."
Mr Calveley was a former pupil of Ysgol Corn Hir and Ysgol Gyfun Llangefni. He had recently graduated from Coleg Menai as an apprentice joiner, and was looking forward to starting work.
They added: "We are devastated and numb with shock of losing such a wonderful son. He was such a loving, caring, easy-going young man that would do anything for anyone.
"He was passionate about motorcycles and cars.
"We are in total disbelief at the moment."
No-one in the car was hurt.
North Wales Police are appealing for witnesses.