Oscar the 'hypno-dog' back after his disappearing act

Six-year-old ''hypno-dog'' Oscar made his bid for freedom during a

walk with owner, Mr Hugh Lennon, on the Meadows on Monday.

He was reunited with the 49-year-old performer after earning a #5000

reward for student Ronan Smith in Craiglockhart.

Mr Smith, 24, was returning home when he spotted the lost dog in the

middle of a busy road. He said: ''I called him over to the pavement. I

was eating a sandwich at the time and he seemed to be more attracted by

the food than anything else, so I gave him half. He just followed me

home.

''I didn't know anything about him. It wasn't until my girlfriend saw

him and said 'I think that's the missing dog' that we realised it was

him and got in touch,'' he said.

Mr Smith will now receive the reward from Premium Pet Foods, a

London-based company which provides a special diet food for the hypnotic

hound. Owners of the Physician and Firkin bar, where the Fringe show is

held, also offered 18 gallons of beer.

Mr Smith said he planned to split the cash with his girlfriend and use

it to pay off student debts. The beer would come in handy for a

celebration party, he added.

Mr Lennon, of Leeds, had cancelled his show after the

labrador-retriever cross, which hypnotises members of the audience, ran

off.

He said: ''He's run off before, but he usually always comes home. I

think he got lost pursuing a female dog in the unfamiliar surroundings

of Edinburgh. I won't be letting him run off again.''

* American comic Steve Martin was in Scotland yesterday for the UK

premiere of his latest movie at the Drambuie Edinburgh Film Festival.

Martin, who will also be taking part in a special workshop tonight, is

understood to have arrived in Scotland earlier this week and spent

several days holidaying in the Highlands with friends.

Meanwhile, Angelene Ball caused a bit of a stir after disappearing

from the festival.

The 26-year-old Commitments actress was in the capital to promote her

movie Brothers in Trouble and had been booked into a hotel for two

nights. Early on Tuesday, staff called the festival to say she could not

be found, although she was due to check out. All her belongings remained

in her room.

Ms Ball finally called festival staff to say she was in London, had

had a great time, and would be returning to collect her luggage.

* Erotic books have been snapped up by eager readers at the Edinburgh

Book Festival.

A series by Benedict Taschen has proved one of the unexpected hits at

this year's literary showpiece.

With titles such as Erotic Universalis, 1000 Nudes, and Bunny's

Honeys, the books have been selling alongside the work of top authors.

* A challenge to the broadcasting laws is to be made in Scotland with

transmissions from a new unofficial TV station.

The Edinburgh Television Trust claims it has found a legal loophole

which would allow it to go ahead with local transmissions without the

approval of the Independent Television Commission.

The confrontation over official restrictions on local broadcasting

coincides with the launch of the Television Festival today as more than

1000 delegates arrive in Edinburgh.

The ''pirate'' station is due to broadcast to an audience of 20,000

across Edinburgh's New Town from a television studio at Observatory

House on Calton Hill, provided by Edinburgh District Council after cable

company United Artists turned down requests to carry festival coverage

provided by students for the community station.