TORONTO - FORMER President George W. Bush called former President Bill Clinton 'his brother' and the two rarely disagreed in their first-ever appearance together on stage.

The Republican and Democratic ex-presidents defended each other at a Toronto forum on Friday, disappointing some in the crowd of 6,000 who expected a more heated debate.

WASHINGTON - A RETIRED US Army general has denied reports that he has seen the pictures of prisoner abuse in Iraq that President Barack Obama is fighting to keep secret.

Britain's Daily Telegraph reported Thursday that retired Army Major General Antonio Taguba, the lead investigator into Abu Ghraib abuse, had seen images Obama wanted suppressed, and supported the president's decision to fight their release.

SYDNEY - AUSTRALIA was mulling a third formal request from the United States to resettle a group of 'war on terror' inmates from the Guantanamo Bay detention facility, officials said on Saturday.

'The Australian government will consider the request on a case by case basis and in accordance with the government's strict immigration and national security requirements,' a foreign affairs spokeswoman told AFP.