Broadcasting in the Soviet Union news and television news was provided almost entirely by the Telegraph Agency of the Soviet Union, commonly known as TASS until 1991. Under the rule of Emperor Nikolai II, the first broadcasting system began in 1904, and evolved into TASS in 1925. TASS still exists today, transformed into the Information Telegraph Agency of Russia (ITAR-TASS). It occupies a Joseph Stalin-era building in Moscow, characterised by a bas-relief sculpture above the main entrance. However, much like its counterparts in cinema and the press, it has suffered since the break-up of Soviet Union. ITAR now broadcasts domestic news, while TASS reports the
Vietnam News Agency and the ASEAN News Exchange (ANEX). In June 2014, the VNA started collaboration with the Italian news agency Agenzia Giornalistica Italia. The VNA is also tasked with publishing currently eight printed materials in eight state-recognised ethnic languages in Vietnam. Performing its function as the state news agency, the VNA supplies the latest official domestic and international news to major partners while satisfying the demand for information through various means, including the leading print and e-newspapers, online news and the television channel VNews. The VNA retains its position as the mainstream information source which guides public opinion, and the strategic and