Kim Kardashian tops list of Bing searches

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Kim Kardashian topped the 2012 list of the most-searched person on Bing, the Web search engine said on Tuesday, with Canadian teen pop star Justin Bieber coming in second.

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Kardashian, the reality television personality from "Keeping Up With The Kardashians," grabbed the No. 1 spot back from Bieber after she topped Bing's annual list in 2010 and Bieber came in first last year.

The 32-year-old first found fame in 2007 due to an Internet sex tape but it was her deft use of social networking and reality TV that propelled her into a global brand with various clothing lines, diet products and cosmetics.

Bieber, 18, came in second after a successful year capped off by sweeping the American Music Awards with his third studio album, "Believe," which was released in June.

Others who made it in top 10 for the first time included singers Rihanna, Selena Gomez, Nicki Minaj and Taylor Swift, while Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears, Megan Fox and Lady Gaga dropped out of the top 10.

Pop culture figures easily trumped politics, even in an election year, with Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney coming in 43rd and President Barack Obama landing at 46th on the list.

Among the most popular news stories, the release of Apple's iPhone 5 came in at No. 1, followed by the U.S. election, the Olympics and superstorm Sandy. The "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo" reality TV show landed at No. 5, followed by the "Gangnam Style Dance," popularized by South Korean rap star Psy's music video.

The birth of singer Beyonce and Jay Z's baby topped the most searched celebrity events, followed by Jessica Simpson's baby and then Whitney Houston's death.

(Editing by Patricia Reaney and Maureen Bavdek)