(3 January 2008 4:00 pm)

MUMBAI: Internet company Yahoo! has announced the Top Trends in Search, as told through the billions of searches in 2007 conducted by millions of Yahoo! searchers around the globe.

Yahoo!'s Top Trends in Search reveals a portrait of a culture on the brink of political breakaways, celebrity breakdowns, technological breakthroughs, environmental action, sporting errors and final farewells to popular icons.

In terms of news stories the top five searches were Saddam Hussein, Iran, Iraq, US President George W. Bush and Oil and Gas prices. This year, the availability of footage of Saddam Hussein's final moments caused searches for him to soar making the late Iraqi leader the most searched figure in the news of 2007.

In addition, the ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan propelled buzz throughout the year. With the ongoing diplomatic situation with Iran and visit from the Iranian president, Yahoo! users searched for more information on Iran than Iraq this year. Among the Presidential hopefuls, who embraced the Web in larger numbers this year, Democratic contenders Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton once again drummed up a large number of searches.

Yahoo! Web Life editor Heather Cabot says, "Searches can give us insight into a culture in motion and Yahoo!'s Top Trends in Search in 2007 reflects the world's fascination with crossroads and breakthroughs. People weren't just buzzing about celebrity. More than ever they sought to be environmentally responsible, were using the Web to find out about food and product safety and getting the scoop on the latest gadgets".

On the technology front the top searches were for YouTube, Wikipedia, Facebook, iTunes, iPod, iPhone, Nintendo Wii, Xbox, Sony PlayStation 3 and Guitar Hero

In 2007, a cell phone had people camping on the doorsteps of local wireless stores. Apple co-founder, Steve Jobs, introduced the iPhone at MacWorld in January. From that moment on, searches on Yahoo! soared as people clamored for the latest gadget from the company who also brought us the infamous iPod.

Nintendo's Wii had a similarly seductive quality. The game console debuted in late 2006, amidst predictions of a stiff competition from the Sony PlayStation 3 and the new Xbox. However, gadgets and games weren't the only things pushing tech to its limits - 2007 was also the year that presidential candidates en masse appealed to their citizenry through the Internet. Technology wasn't so much breaking new ground, as it was entering into a new maturity.

Celebrities in trouble: In 2007, Yahoo! searches kept up with the twists and turns of troubled Hollywood stars. Britney Spears, Paris Hilton and Anna Nicole Smith were at the top. Traffic violations drove socialites Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie to jail, and Lindsay Lohan went to rehab numerous times. The story of Anna Nicole Smith and her unexpected death resulted in a great spike in searches and Vanessa Ann Hudgens, the Disney star of High School Musical became even more popular following her photo scandal.

This year, kids aged 7-12 showed their environmental consciousness as they searched on topics of global proportions and endangered animals. Global warming was among 2007's top 10 searches on Yahoo! Kids. Although maths topped the list of the most-searched school subject, science was also popular, with related searches on dinosaurs and the solar system remained high on the list among both boys and girls.

In terms of sports searches Nascar was at number one. Searches showed that Maria Sharapova was very hot this year, and Serena Williams' triumph in the Australian open after a series of injuries made her a favourite of Yahoo! searchers.