"Big data is one of the key building blocks of the digital economy, " said Stephen Shurrock, chief commercial officer at Telefonica Digital.

BBC: Telefonica hopes 'big data' arm will revive fortunes

Sanctions imposed on Iran by the United Nations, the United States and the European Union were one of the key stumbling blocks.

CNN: Talks over Iran's nuclear program resume in Moscow

It permanently blocks a key enzyme on the surface of the flu virus, stopping it from spreading to other cells.

BBC: Flu drug 'shows promise' in overcoming resistance

Political uncertainty in Lebanon means it is also unable to make key decisions, notably on the delineation of offshore blocks, which must be approved by a new cabinet.

BBC: Tamar natural gas platform, 2013

She says they injected intravenously two differing amounts of an RNA snippet that blocks the gene that makes apolipoprotein B, a key component in cholesterol.

NPR: Researchers Try Fighting Heart Disease Gene by Gene