Romanian newspapers returned to the stands on Tuesday after several days off for Orthodox Easter. And they returned with news on how Romanians celebrated Easter fighting with Danube floods in the south of the country, or unde siege in Afghanistan. Looking around to neighboring countries, they also discuss the recent elections in Hungary and Bulgaria’s chances in its effort to join the EU.

Evenimentul Zilei focuses on Easter in the village of Bistret, where President Traian Basescu met villagers and refugees and urged the former to leave their homes immediately as several dams in the area collapsed under Danube floods.

The situation was tragic in the area as Danube levels stood two meters above ground, covering most of the villages there.

And according to Evenimentul Zilei the same situation is to be seen along most of the Romanian banks of the river, from the most affected area in southern Dolj county down to Galati.

Tabloid Libertatea sent its reporters to one of the flooded villages, Rast in the Dolj county, to witness how the evuacuees spent their Easter It reports that people there spent their holiday gathered by thousands in several dozens of tents as the only homes untouched by Danube waters in their village were the town hall and the church.

And Gandul reported from Bechet in the same area, where local people celebrated Easter in a swamped higher ground, where one can get only by helicopter.

Cotidianul, meanwhile, focuses on Romanian troops in Afghanistan, where their base in the city of Kandahar was hit by three strong explosions on Easter night. No casualties were affected as the explosions struck when the Romanian soldiers were celebrating the Orthodox ceremonies for the Ressurection of Jesus.

The same Cotidianul also reports that within days the summer season will open on the Romanian seaside, but most tourism facilities are not yet ready for the flood of sea lovers starting May 1.

According to the newspaper, half of the Romanian seaside beaches are left unmanaged despite an Environment Ministry program to improve tourism conditions in the area.

On the political scene, Evenimentul Zilei notes the vanishing of former PM, former House speaker Adrian Nastase of the opposition Social-Democratic Party. Confronted with a wave of corruption scandals and judiciary investigations, he withdrew voluntarily in the shadow of the political stage, the newspaper writes.

But it quotes analysts according to whom Nastase’s silenzio stampa may have adverse effects as he might only be remembered by those who associate him with public scandals and acts corruption.

And the same newspaper comments in its lead editorial that with the victory of Socialists in Hungary’s parliamentary elections this month – the second round of which took place on Sunday – the neighboring country managed to overcome its "Trianon complex" – a reference to an early 20th century treaty that left Hungary without much of the territory it held before the WWI.

According to the Evenimentul Zilei editorial, the defeat and future isolation of Viktor Orban, the leader of the Hungarian nationalistic, conservative Right, whose electoral message was of little interest for the transforming Hungarian voter.

Gandul, meanwhile, turns its attention to Bulgaria, the country due to join the EU along Romania in January 2007.

The newspaper quotes two experts who evaluated the situation in the Bulgarian Justice and domestic affairs, who say organized crime, corruption and inefficient Justice make Bulgaria "not close by far" to European standards and so it wouldn’t deserve to join the Union next year.