Still trailing: Taj is 10th on new Wonders’ list

NEW YORK: The Taj Mahal in Agra is still in contention to make it to the list of new Seven Wonders Of the World. The list of leading contenders, released by organisers New Seven Wonders, on Thursday has the Acropolis in Athens and Mexico's Mayan ruins at Chichen Itza in the top positions.

The contest, which ends in one month, will chose the new landmarks through a global online and phone vote. Some 50 million people have voted so far in the competition designed to produce a 21st century list of the world's greatest man-made heritage sites. The winning list will be announced in Lisbon on July 7.

Many countries are carrying out special events to encourage people to vote for their sites, Viering said. "There are some really creative, phenomenal things going on in the last four weeks that will influence the final result." These include an Indian singer dedicating a song to the Taj Mahal and Brazil's soccer team urging Brazilians to vote for Christ Redeemer, the statue that adorns Rio de Janeiro's skyline.

The most popular 10 sites so far include both the Taj Mahal and Christ Redeemer, along with the Colosseum in Rome, the Eiffel Tower, the Great Wall of China, Peru's Machu Picchu, Petra in Jordan, and the statues of Easter Island.