With Libya engulfed in civil war, the continuing turmoil in the Mideast returned to the top of the mainstream news agenda.

From February 21-27, events in the Middle East, dominated by the precarious situation in Libya, accounted for 35% of the newshole, according to the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism. Up from 22% the previous week, this marks the fourth time in the last five weeks the Mideast has ranked as the No. 1 story in PEJ’s News Coverage Index.

A closely related topic—the rise in oil and gas prices attributed to the Libyan instability—filled another 2% of the newshole.

Read the full report Libya on the Brink Leads the News on the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism Web site.