The incipit of piece in the Scotsman enlightens us thusly:

A PANEL of experts has drawn up a shortlist to identify the new seven wonders of the world.

People from around the globe can vote for their favourites from 21 suggested landmarks, including the Colosseum in Rome, the ancient city of Petra in Jordan and the Acropolis in Athens, Greece.

The only British entry is Stonehenge in Wiltshire. The Eiffel Tower, the Sydney Opera House and the Statue of Liberty are also on the list, which has been put together following a five-year campaign by the New Seven Wonders Foundation.

The Swiss group aims to alert the world to the destruction of man-made heritage and will announce the winners on 1 January, 2007.

Members include Professor Federico Mayor, the former director-general of UNESCO, and several leading architects.

According to the rules, the new seven wonders must be man-made, completed by 2000, and in an "acceptable" state of preservation.

The seven ancient wonders of the world were all man-made monuments selected by the philosopher Philon of Byzantium in about 200BC.

His choices essentially make up a travel guide for Athenians and were located around the Mediterranean basin.

They were built between 2500BC and 200BC, but just the Great Pyramid at Giza remains.

The 'panel of experts' have a website of course (which is somewhat disappointing) ... Classics types will probably want to vote for the Acropolis, Colosseum, Hagia Sophia, and Petra ...