New seven wonders poll nears announcement

GENEVA: The winners of an Internet poll to pick seven "new" wonders of the world are due to be revealed on Saturday after some 70 million voters cast their franchise, organisers said.

In May, the 10 frontrunners out of the 21 short-listed sites included the Taj Mahal in India, the Acropolis in Greece, the ancient Mayan city of Chichen Itza in Mexico, the Coliseum in Rome, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Great Wall of China, the Incan ruins of Machu Picchu, Petra in Jordan, the statues on Easter Island and Britain's Stonehenge.

The privately-sponsored campaign was the brainchild of a Swiss filmmaker and museum curator Bernard Weber, following the destruction of Afghanistan's giant Buddha statues at Bamiyan by the Taliban in 2001.

"The idea is to stimulate cultural dialogue and mutual cultural appreciation," said New Seven Wonders spokeswoman Tia Viering.

"We want people to look at the world around them in a different way and appreciate their culture and different cultures," she told.

The poll conducted through a website and telephone voting will culminate with a glitzy televised ceremony at a football stadium in the Portuguese capital Lisbon on July 7.

Some cultural experts have criticised the popular poll, which emulates the ancient seven wonders selected by intellectuals in the Mediterranean region around 200 BC.

"This campaign is neither democratic nor scientific," said Nicole Bolomey, a culture specialist for the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation in India.

"It's not as if the Taj Mahal is going to crumble tomorrow, whereas much of India's urban heritage is in danger," Bolomey explained.