Thousands of miles from the Middle East, in a stadium in Santiago, Chile, the nation of Palestine exists, if only for the 90 minutes of a soccer match.

A strong earthquake of magnitude 6.9 strikes off the west coast of Chile, rocking the capital Santiago and briefly causing alarm along the Pacific Coast but sparing the quake-prone nation of any serious damage.

Cuban revolutionary Fidel Castro's ashes were encased in a large granite boulder on Sunday in a ceremony that capped nine days of public mourning and aimed to literally set in stone the legacy of one of the 20th century's most influential characters.

Flag-waving Cubans leaned from windows and lined the streets as Fidel Castro's funeral cortege approached the end of three-day journey on Saturday, rolling into the city of Santiago de Cuba where the revolutionary leader's remains will be laid to rest.

Second-half goals from Eduardo Vargas and Alexis Sanchez saw Chile to a 2-0 win over Brazil in their World Cup qualifier on Thursday.

A powerful 8.3-magnitude earthquake strikes Chile, killing eight people, forcing the evacuation of a million and sparking warnings that tsunami waves could reach Japan.

Argentina's Lionel Messi says his star-studded team are "desperate" to mark their status by winning the Copa America final against hosts Chile.

Chile takes another step towards their dream of winning a first Copa America on home soil with a 2-1 win over Peru on Monday but Eduardo Vargas' match-winning double was overshadowed by an early refereeing decision that turned the game the hosts' way.

Hosts Chile began their quest for a maiden Copa America title with victory over Ecuador in Santiago.