Officials from the Chilean mint were fired following the discovery of 50-peso coins with the inscription "Chiie" instead of "Chile," a misprint that has raised suspicions of sabotage.
Discovered at the end of 2009, the error came on top of other irregularities in coins and commemorative medallions, which led to the removal of the mint's director, Gregorio Iniguez, and the official in charge of minting coins, Pedro Urzua.
The coin, with the visage of Chilean independence hero Bernardo O'Higgins, bears the word "Chiie" instead of "Chile", and carries the signature of a master striker of coins that the Central Bank had insisted not be used.
The double error was made in 2008 when the mint was being converted into a private company, which generated protests and unhappiness among many of the mint's employees. (AFP)
Daredevil squirrel banned
A theme park has been forced to ban a daredevil squirrel from one of its rides as its antics posed a health and safety risk, it said.
The rodent was said to be causing headaches for operators at Alton Towers by getting in the way of improvement work on an attraction at the resort.
Workers noticed it riding the revamped Sonic Spinball roller coaster as it was tested in the mornings and joining visitors who were offered an early go on it before the official opening. The grey-haired animal was also caught stealing food from the workers. (PA)
Groom is late in 'row-mantic' wedding
Traditionally, it's the bride who arrives late for her wedding - but one British groom was forgiven for his tardiness after rowing across the Atlantic to tie the knot.
Adventurous Neil Ward arrived in the Caribbean on the Britannia III as part of a crew of 12 taking part in the Atlantic Rowing Race.
Mr Ward, 38, set off on the gruelling journey of more than 2,000 miles from the Canary Islands on January 4, arriving in Barbados, where fiancée Louise Robertson was waiting, weeks later.
The couple, who live in the French Alps, celebrated their wedding in the sunshine of Almond Beach Village. (PA)
Real-life mannequins
Four sales assistants swopped the shop floor for the shop window when they became real-life mannequins to give shoppers inspiration for Valentine's Day gifts.
The girls - Lesley-Anne Walker and Cheryl King, both 19, along with 18-year-olds Emma Ramshaw and Amy Berry - from Debenhams in Sunderland, donned luxurious underwear to model for passers-by.
Store manager Graham Hollingworth said: "It's no mean feat to stand in the window in nothing but your underwear, and I really do applaud the girls' bravery." (PA)
Snow no-show
Officials in the US took pity on the owners of thousands of vehicles that were ticketed or towed during a snowstorm that never was.
With a foot of snow forecast in Boston, the city declared a snow emergency which requires main routes to be free of vehicles to allow ploughs to fully clear the streets.
Transport workers ticketed 3,353 vehicles at £29 a pop and towed 229 others at £58 each. Then the snow came, and it was barely a dusting.
Mayor Tom Menino said the unpredictable nature of the storm and the fact that many families are already struggling prompted him to waive the fines. (PA)
Yellow peril
The "yellow" train line in Atlanta will be renamed the "gold" line after members of the local Asian community complained that it was racially insensitive.
Metro Atlanta Regional Transit Authority had recently renamed its train lines with colours - yellow, red, blue and green. The yellow line went to Doraville in the northeast suburbs, an area with a large Far Eastern population.
Helen Kim, from the Centre for Pan Asian Community Services, said the Asian community feels like their voices have finally been heard. (PA)
Pandas for rent
Japanese panda fans will be able to see the endangered animals in Tokyo next year for the first time since 2008, after the city reached an agreement to "rent" a pair from China for nearly a million US dollars a year.
Ling Ling, a panda who came to Tokyo in 1992, died in April 2008, leaving Ueno Zoo without a giant panda for the first time since 1972, when a pair arrived to mark the signing of a peace treaty between Japan and China.
Tokyo governor Shintaro Ishihara said that two pandas are expected to arrive early next year and will cost £600,000 a year. The payments will help rebuild a panda sanctuary in China's Sichuan province. (PA)