The Philippines Air Force arrived in northern Australia on Wednesday on its first overseas deployment in six decades for combat practice alongside U.S. and Australian fighter jets, amid a rise in tensions with China in the South China Sea.

The Philippines is participating in Pitch Black for the first time, and it's also the first time the Philippine Air Force has sent aircraft overseas for an international exercise

The four fighter jets from the Philippine Air Force arrived here on Wednesday afternoon to participate with 20 other countries in what is considered the largest Pitch Black exercise ever. The flight of KAI FA-50PH Golden Eagle light combat aircraft and their pilots join more than 200 PAF personnel who arrived earlier via Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) C-130 Hercules and PAF C295 transports.

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Australian authorities said a chemical explosion has sparked a large fire at a factory in Melbourne on Wednesday.

An explosion gutted a factory on the outskirts of the Australian city of Melbourne on Wednesday, igniting a massive fire that firefighters said would take days to fully put out.