A blind Chinese lawyer and activist whose escape from house arrest to the U.S. embassy in Beijing sparked a diplomatic crisis has been honored by a human rights group in New York. Human Rights First gave its 2012 Human Rights Award to Chen Guangcheng at its annual gala on Wednesday. Actor Christian Bale, who had tried to meet the activist in China in December but was turned away by officials, presented the award. Chen's escape earlier this year to the U.S. embassy set off a spat between the United States and China before he was allowed to leave the country with his family. Chen had endured 7 years of prison and house arrest after documenting forced abortions and other abuses by local authorities. He's now studying law at New York University.

Sweden's Princess Madeleine engaged Princess Madeleine and her U.S. boyfriend, New York financier Chris O'Neill, 38, are engaged. Madeleine, 30 is the youngest of King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia's three children and is fourth in line to the throne. O'Neill proposed earlier this month, but not before he had first talked with her father, she said. She lives in New York where she works for the World Childhood Foundation.

THE BREAKOUT: Carly Rae Jepsen has had a breakout year, and now she's being rewarded by Billboard, which has named her its Rising Star of 2012. The "Call Me Maybe" singer will be honored at Billboard's annual Women in Music event, to be held in New York City on Nov. 30. She'll join Katy Perry, who has been named Woman of the Year. Previous recipients include Nicki Minaj and Lady Gaga.

HE'S OUT: Lindsay Lohan's publicist Steve Honig, who has steered his client through one scandal after another after another, has quit, an insider told E News. Honig said he's keeping mum on his decision "out of respect for my client."

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