Human Rights Watch yesterday reported that at least 24 demonstrators had been killed in Libya over the last two days, and some speculate that that number could be much higher. In terms of communication and the availability of reliable news, Libya closer resembles North Korea than many of its neighbors. And besides ordering riot police and special forces to crack down on protests in Benghazi and other cities, Brother Leader Muammar Qaddafi has taken a page from the Hosni Mubarak playbook, according to the HRW report:

Libya's Brother Leader Muammar Qaddafi got a taste of the region-wide popular uprisings Tuesday night, after the government there arrested a prominent human rights activist setting off protests in the country's second-largest city, Benghazi. The BBC reports that around 2,000 people took to the streets and threw rocks and molotov cocktails at police, who responded with rubber bullets, teargas and water cannon. "Last night was a bad night," one resident told Reuters.

As chaos reigns in neighboring Tunisia, Libya's "Brother Leader" Muammar Qaddafi went on television to say he is "very pained" to see another strongman fall. He's probably also upset over reports of riots breaking out in Libya.

Venezuela's blowhard President Hugo Chavez last week offered up his palace to citizens made homeless by floods and he's living up to it, telling Caracas residents, "Put up Gaddafi's gift. [...] I'm going to move into the tent." So proletariat!

Libyan authorities have for two days detained 10 journalists from Oea newspaper, which is owned by dictator Muammar Gaddafi's reformist son Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, for criticizing the Libyan government and urging a "final assault" on corruption in politics there. [Reuters]

Very likely 2012 presidential candidate Mitt Romney will quit using "Mitt.ly" as a URL shortener, after learning that the evil Libyan government controls the ".ly" domain. Now he'll use "Mi.tt," registered to tropical freedom land Trinidad and Tobago. [Image: AP]

Libya is not pleased with Violet Blue's bare arms. The North African autocracy shut down the American writer's website partly because it featured an "offensive" picture of her drinking beer in a sleeveless shirt.

[Colonel Muammar el-Qaddafi, Libya's "Brother Leader," arrived in Italy today with his all female Amazonian guard to talk business, and other things. Image via AP]

Poor BP just can't catch a break. Some US lawmakers now want to investigate whether the company played a role in the early release of convicted Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset al Megrahi, in exchange for lucrative oil contracts in Libya. [CNN]

A ten-year-old Dutch boy is perhaps the lone survivor among the 104 souls aboard Afriqiyah Air flight 8U771, which crashed last night in Tripoli. He's been taken to the hospital with "bone injuries." They're calling it a miracle. Sigh. [CNN]

Rachel Sklar, Mediaite's executive editor and resident Lady Gaga Penis Conspiracy-debunker, might've found her Watergate. She's making unconfirmed, shaky, but fascinating arguments for Beyonce playing a New Year's Eve show for Lindsay Lohan AND Libyan leader Muammar al-Gaddafi's kid.

Remember when Donald was tricked into renting his Bedford estate to Libya during last month's opening session of the UN General Assembly? Consider the score settled, even if Donald didn't have anything to do with it. To promote its new line of chicken sandwiches, an actor dressed as Colonel Sanders managed to sneak his way into the UN yesterday and ended up scoring a photo op with a Libyan diplomat. Not that the official should have been expected to recognize the colonel. Libyais one of the few countries that remains KFC-free (and may very well remain that way after this little international incident). [NYDN]

Moammar Khadafy's tent in Donald Trump's backyard was dismantled this afternoon. As for how much Trump really knew about who had rented his Bedford property—or whether he was truly duped by the Libyan leader's reps—that remains an open question. In what may be a historic first for the Trumpster, he's turning down all interview requests for the time being. Savor the moment. [AP, previously]

Moammar Khadafy didn't get to stay in Bedford last night—construction on his Bedouin-style tent was halted last night after his plans to camp out on Donald Trump's estate were revealed publicly—and he instead had to bunk down at the Libyan mission on East 48th Street. The world's most fashionable dictator held his first meeting of the day early this morning when he had a tête-à-tête with one the few people willing to talk to him, Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan. Then it was off to the United Nations where he bypassed protesters and delivered a rambling speech about, well, you name it. Dressed in tan-colored robes, black cap, and with a shiny black pin in the shape of Africa pinned over his heart, Khadafy relied on a handful of handwritten pages to deliver a 90-minute speech, which was about 75 minutes or so over the limit.

So, Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi has come to America to spread his brand of terrifying love. But no one wants to host him. How sad! But, wait, Donald Trump's company has some space and is let him pitch a tent!

"Donald Trump may have inadvertently rented property in a ritzy New York suburb to loathed Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, who has spent weeks trying to find a place to pitch his trademark tent while in town for the United Nations General Assembly meeting," ABC News now reports, confirming a previous account that the Libyan leader was planning to spend the week in Bedford. Team Trump claims it rented the property to a bunch of Middle Eastern dudes, but had no idea they had any connection to the Libyan leader. Says a Trump rep: "We have business partners and associates all over the world. The property was leased on a short-term basis to Middle Eastern partners who may or may not have a relationship to Mr. Gaddafi. We are looking into the matter now." Meanwhile, work constructing the tent has been halted by town officials. That's what they're hoping anyway: "Attorney Joel Sachs said officials found workers constructing the tent but could not communicate with them because they didn't speak English. He said they gave the order to stop the work to the property's caretaker." [ABC News, HuffPo]

Libyan leader Moammar Khadafy won't be staying at the Pierre Hotel when he descends on NYC this week to attend the opening session of the U.N. General Assembly. Hotel guests outraged by the plan seem to have forced Libya to change its plans and he'll now be staying at the Libyan Mission to the U.N. instead. Not that staying at a building owned by his own government isn't still creating drama. It seems a dog peed on the red carpet that had been rolled out to welcome Khadafy, and "aggravated Libyan officials were forced to cut away a section of the carpet that stretched across the E. 48th St. sidewalk from the curbs to the steps." [NYDN, previously]

Cool Web kids are fighting the plague of long Internet addresses "URL shrinkers" — quirky names like TinyURL and Is.gd. One of them, Bit.ly, just raised $2 million. Great news for Libyan strongman Muammar Qaddafi!