No 9738, Tuesday 12 Jan 10, Sankalak

ACROSS
 1  - A gap providing an opportunity (7) - OPENING [DD]
 5  - Not a role a star wants to play (3-4) - BIT-PART [CD]
 9  - Panchayati raj (5,10) - LOCAL GOVERNMENT [E]
10 - Len’s knock-out design, something to add strength to the keel of a ship (6) - KELSON*
11 - Precipitation resulting from pollution (4,4) - ACID RAIN [E]
13 - Denial, say, in a race (8) - N{EG}ATION Nice clue
15 - Mass movement of people shown in 1960 movie (6) - EXODUS [DD]
18 - Child admirer in international setting (6) - IN{FAN}T
19 - Sudden, heavy rain could be a cause of ruin (8) - {DOWN}{FALL}
22 - A programme to seclude Henry somehow (8) - SC{H}EDULE*
24 - Criminal law nets expert returning with plant (6) - IP{ECA<-}C
27 - Ceaseless movement in a hypothetical situation (9,6) - PERPETUAL MOTION [CD]
28 - Puts on clothes (7) - DRESSES [E]
29 - Pineapple that could be a blast (7) - GRENADE [CD]

DOWN
 1  - Material that lubricates top of knife at home (7) - {OILS}{K}{IN}
 2  - Do better than 40 Roman ones, say (5) - EXCEL (~xl) Nice one
 3  - Such wealth cannot be the result of honest labour (3-6) - ILL-GOTTEN [CD] THC printer's devil honestly at work
 4  - Hired thug who would talk too much (4) - {GO}{ON}
 5  - Used to whiten clothes, it is large, found in the Marina, for example (6) - B{L}EACH
 6  - Kind of milk good for the weight conscious (5) - TONED [CD]
 7  - Russian empress, one banished from African city (9) - ALEXANDR(-i)A
 8  - Lockjaw (7) - TETANUS [E]
12, 17 - Doubly nice French combining in a sweet (6) - {BON}{BON}
14 - It does not deserve an oral examination (4,5) - GIFT HORSE [CD] Interesting meaning
16 - One in fear of foreigners put a hex on eastern BPO organisation (9) - XENOPHOBE*
17 See 12
18 - At home I’d accept drink that is tasteless (7) - {IN}{SIP}{ID}
20 - Gaps formed in a (shortened) nuclear explosion (7) - LACUNAE(-r)*
21 - They may come before a fall (6) - CLOUDS [CD]
23 - Fights to settle matters of honour once (5) - DUELS [E]
25 - Feature article on a country (5) - {CHIN}{A}
26 - Start fast, then fall behind, get tired (4) - {F}{LAG}



GRID