Cold weather returns with a vengeance after several days of real spring in Romania, but that finds Romanian media prepared for reports of a weather-dictated regionalization of the country. The same regionalization is noted in the latest political trouble hitting the opposition Social Democrats, while most newspapers today only draw clear borders between tourism and sport reports.

TV news reports from Antena 3 and Realitatea TV say winter returned with snow storms in Moldova, Eastern Romania, while the west of the country is affected by floods.

One of the most affected areas is the Moldovan county Suceava, where it’s been snowing continuously since Thursday morning.

And in the west it was pouring in the county of Arad, where many houses in the town of Pecica risk collapsing and where families resist town hall plans to evacuate the most affected quarters.

That prompts newspaper Cotidianul to warn that Romania is "regionalizing itself according to weather trends", a phenomenon due to last for 100 years.

The paper quotes meteorologists who believe Romanian weather will go through significant changes in the coming decades, with average temperatures rising by up to 10 degrees because of pollution.

Political pollution, meanwhile, keeps affecting the opposition Social Democratic Party (PSD) most, with newspapers today pointing to a strange situation in which Adrian Nastase, who only several days ago was threatening to leave the PSD, is now producing a framework document to form the basis for the modernization of the party.

Cotidianul reports that a reunion of PSD officials yesterday, in which Nastase gave little signs of real participation, concluded with statements from current party leaders mocking the ex-speaker of the House for his failed adventure of leaving the party.

Meanwhile, Evenimentul Zilei notes the renewed attacks Nastase’s cronies addressed PSD president Mircea Geoana. These politicians were working with Nastase in the morning to produce a document establishing what the PSD should do to modernize the group, while calling for an PSD extraordinary congress to clear the situation up.

The "regionalization" reached climax when a PSD Senator, Antonie Iorgovan, was ousted from the party not by its central leadership, but by the small local branch he represents in Parliament, the same Evenimentul Zilei says.

Adevarul, however, focuses on the big picture and quotes an independent report on the political situation in Romania, which has reached the Socialist group in the European Parliament.

According to the document, the Romanian Social-Democrats – that is, the PSD – proved little concern to act as a real opposition since the current center-right government came to power.

And the same Social-Democrats, noted to be among the richest people in Romania, spent most of their time quarreling within party ranks.

Cotidianul sticks to the geographical line today and quotes another report, this time from the World Travel&Tourism Council, saying that Romania’s many strategies to reform and boost national tourism were generally ill-conceived and are lacking results.

The document says the country should focus less in seaside and skiing tourism, which bring nothing special against competition from neighboring countries, and should consider focusing on the cultural heritage instead.

Tourism-wise, Bucharest is becoming a hot spot as football supporters from across the country are gathering in the capital for the two matches between Steaua and Rapid, in the quarterfinals of the UEFA Cup. According to a poll on the UEFA website, quoted by Evenimentul Zilei, Steaua is credited with most chances to win the Cup.

65.19% of the respondents say the Bucharest team would take the trophy, while Rapid is seen as a victor by 22.64%.