Climate change, Britney Spears top 2007 web searches

LOS ANGELES: A review of Yahoo searches reveals global warming, celebrity meltdowns, social networking and a literary  boy wizard’s final adventure captured mankind’s attention in 2007.

The US Internet giant sifted billions of searches made this year by its hundreds of millions of users worldwide to identify trends regarding what piqued people’s interest.

The results were posted on Monday at Yahoo’s website under the banner of “Top Trends in Search in 2007”

“It is really a barometer for what is interesting and relevant for the world,” Yahoo director of product marketing Raj Gossain said while discussing the findings with AFP.

“We have a set of trends that identifies a culture that is really on the brink of change. There are a lot of inflection points that relate to the environment, politics, trade, and how they view celebrity.”

Information about fallen Iraqi strongman Saddam Hussein and the Middle East was the most sought-after news followed by oil prices and the activities of US President George W. Bush.

“People were checking the status of the war and we’ve seen more and more searches on exit strategies,” said Yahoo senior news editor Vera Chan.

“People are monitoring  the situation in Iran, the nuclear program and worries of further military confrontations.”

Product recalls proved to be hot topics, with queries logged regarding problems with pet food, toys, and even peanut butter.