A name is an identifier, sometimes unique depending on how creative your parents were if we're talking about people - occasionally if your parents get too creative, then changing your name by deed poll is an option once you come of age.
But how about countries? At one time, Britain had an empire that spanned a quarter of the globe and chose to name countries within her realm as she saw fit. Once those countries gained independence, a few decided to change their names such as Zimbabwe which was formerly known as Rhodesia and Sri Lanka which was known as Ceylon. For other countries such as China and Russia, the renaming was limited to cities so Peking became Beijing and Leningrad reverted to St. Petersburg after the break up of the Soviet Union.
In 1989, the military junta in Burma decided to rename the country Myanmar and the former capital city Rangoon became known as Yangon. Today saw the release of Aung San Suu Kyi, but whether it's a case of sticking two fingers to the military junta or a former colonial power refusing to recognise the diktat of a wayward former colony, the British press insist on calling the country Burma - Al Jazeera have no such problems.
If I tell you what I'ld like to be called then it behoves you to refer to me by my name choice, especially if you're seeking to engage with me. The British press are taking their cue from the Foreign & Commonwealth Office which persists in using the old name and that's tantamount to a diplomatic own goal.
