2 Tibetan cousins set themselves on fire in China

BEIJING, AP: A rights group says two Tibetan cousins have set fire to themselves in their village to protest Chinese rule, bringing the total number of self-immolations this week to seven, the highest since the protests began last year.

The London-based group Free Tibet said Saturday that cousins Tsepo, 20, and Tenzin, 25, called for independence for Tibet as they set fire to themselves Thursday in front of a government building in their village in Biru county north of Lhasa, Tibet's main city.

It says Tsepo reportedly died and Tenzin's condition was unknown after he was taken away by authorities.

About 60 Tibetans have set themselves on fire since early 2011.

The protests have intensified as Beijing nears a once-a-decade power transfer in early November.