PARIS, July 8: The world’s press called for global unity on Friday in the wake of the deadly bombings in London, warning that no country was safe from terrorism and urging a more coordinated international response.

Newspapers around the world praised Londoners for their courage under fire, but lamented that the attacks had disrupted the Group of Eight (G8) summit in Scotland, where leaders were expected to seal a deal on boosting aid to Africa.

Russia’s Vremya Novostei newspaper offered a bleak warning: “The terrorists are among us, they participate in summits and the preparation for the Olympic Games, and they remind us constantly that the world is at war.”

In an editorial entitled “Murder in London,” The Washington Post wrote: “The bombings proved that the threat of large terrorist attacks remains very real in the democracies allied in combating Islamic extremism.

“But they also probably ensured that that alliance will be strengthened.”

“Terrorism is drawing near and from now on, no one is safe,” cautioned Germany’s popular Bild daily.

Israel’s Maariv tabloid simply asked: “Who’s next in line?”

“Osama is back”, read the banner front-page headline of Kenya’s independent tabloid The Standard, referring to claims by a previously unknown group linked to the Al-Qaeda network that it had carried out the string of attacks.

“The attacks underscore one point — terrorism remains a potent threat and the world must not, even for a moment, close its eyes to this menace.”

Four explosions rocked the British capital on Thursday — three targeting Underground trains and a fourth ripping apart a double-decker bus. At least 50 people were killed and more than 700 others injured.

In Hong Kong, the Chinese-language Apple Daily argued that countries must strengthen their cooperation to root out the “cold-blooded murderers” — a theme taken up by many newspapers around the globe.

The China Daily called the attacks “barbaric”, adding: “If the attacks had been plotted to create a sense of fear, it backfired. It has instead aroused a shared belief in collective defence against acts of terror.”

“We must remain vigilant. The fight against terrorism must be an absolute priority,” said the popular Dutch daily De Telegraaf.

“It is... only by standing together that we can confront and in the end win over the terrorists,” added Sweden’s Dagens Nyheter.

In Denmark, the Politiken daily, referring to the US-led wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, warned against any further military action in the “war on terror”.

“Now it is however important for Western leaders to throw cold water on the flames. A heated response to the terror attacks in the shape of new military actions would be a very dangerous course to take,” it wrote.

Among the challenges to be faced is “fostering world unity” and “securing the public,” said USA Today, warning that the rush to pass tough anti-terrorism laws should not override concerns of abuse.

“Since 9/11, the nation has learned that the quest for security can lead to excesses that undermine the war on terror.”

Japan’s conservative Yomiuri Shimbun called for “a resolute stance” against terror and said, “We must show there is nothing you gain with terrorism.”

Some newspapers, including Poland’s Gazeta Wyborcza and Germany’s Tagesspiegel, said the attacks could only be seen as retaliation for Britain’s participation alongside the United States in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

But others like Germany’s Die Welt suggested that the bombings were aimed at non-Muslims in general.

Many dailies praised the people of London and British Prime Minister Tony Blair for keeping their cool in the face of deadly violence.

“Once again, the British phlegm deserves our admiration,” noted the Dutch paper De Volkskrant.

For the left-leaning French daily Liberation, “An absence of panic and an impressive composure is the measure of a people whose spirit of resistance we have become familiar with since at least 1940”.

The Wall Street Journal, in an editorial simply titled “7/7/2005”, noted the “impressive sight” of Blair “responding to the London terror attacks flanked in solidarity by all the world’s major leaders”.

But in Africa, several dailies lamented that the attacks had disrupted the agenda at the G8 summit.

“Africa bombed off the headlines,” said the front-page headline of Uganda’s independent broadsheet The Monitor.

“It is all very well for Blair to declare, as he did yesterday, that the terrorists will never succeed. The fact is that neither, until there is some fairness in the world, will the men meeting in Gleneagles,” wrote South Africa’s Business Day in an editorial.—AFP