Halimione portulacoides the sea shores of western and southern Europe, and from the Mediterranean Sea to western Asia. Copeland Islands (Co. Down). Botanical synonyms include "Atriplex portulacoides" L. and "Obione portulacoides" (L.) Moq. Recent phylogenetic research revealed, that "Halimione" is a distinct genus and can not be included in "Atriplex". Halimione portulacoides Halimione portulacoides or sea purslane (2n=36) is a small greyish-green shrub widely distributed in temperate Eurasia and parts of Africa. A halophyte, it is found in salt marshes and coastal dunes, and is usually flooded at high tide. The plant grows to 75 cm. It is evergreen, and in northern
Asia–Europe Foundation the leaders of 25 Asian and European countries as well as the European Commission, met in Bangkok, Thailand, for the 1st Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit (ASEM1). At this inaugural meeting, they agreed on the establishment of the Asia–Europe Foundation (ASEF) on 15 February 1997 as a central institution of ASEM's social, cultural and educational pillar. One of the main tasks of ASEF is to become an interface between civil society groups and governments by facilitating interactions among people from diverse fields and transmitting the resulting outputs as recommendations to policy-makers. By nature, ASEF is different from other organisations, as it