No 10389, Saturday 18 Feb 12, Sankalak

ACROSS

1   - Capital with arcane British construction (8) - CANBERRA {ARCANE+BR}*

5   - Insulted junior pressman returns escorted by a senior one (6) - ABUSED {A}{BUS<-}{ED}

10 - It's about roaming, but being lost, in ancient city (5) - OSTIA {ITS+AbOut}*

11 - Light made from lamb pelt, a curiosity (5,4) - TABLE LAMP*

12 - Charming suitor, almost loaded, carries note (9) - BEAUTIFUL {BEAU}{TI}{FULl}

13 - Rapid writer (5) - STENO [CD] (Correction - SWIFT [DD] - See comments)

14 - The measure of a monarch (5) - RULER [DD]

16 - Tricked by a trap in the finish (8) - ENSNARED {EN{SNARE}D}

18 - Countermeasure against spot beginning to erupt (8) - ANTIDOTE {ANTI}{DOT}{E}

20 - Teams which may be taken to show support (5) - SIDES [DD]

24 - Conservative girl's bloomer (5) - CANNA {C}{ANNA}

25 - A cover, say, strong and ready for use (9) - AVAILABLE {A}{(~veil)VAIL}{ABLE}

27 - Messenger gets her good brain working (9) - HARBINGER {HER+G+BRAIN}*

28 - A recess for Henry, pleasant all around (5) - NICHE {NIC{H}E}

29 - Express sorrow about the final word accepted by the left (6) - LAMENT {L{AMEN}T}

30 - Like the sky on a cloudy night, lacking big players (8) - STARLESS [DD]

DOWN

1   - Tool used in a cold fight over prohibition (7) - CROWBAR {C}{ROW}{BAR}

2   - A game to catch everyone around Belgium (7) - NETBALL {NET}{B}{ALL}

3   - One-time English law that was just right (5) - EXACT {EX}{ACT}

4   - Formally approve agreement to please one failing to start (6) - RATIFY gRATIFY

6   - Prayers for the happiness of British author in the Bahamas (9) - BLESSINGS {B{LESSING}S}

7   - Providing better shelter from heat could be more dishonest (7) - SHADIER [DD]

8   - Appointed to be placed in action (7) - DEPUTED {DE{PUT}ED}

9   - Mollusc found by sailor by himself (7) - ABALONE {AB}{ALONE}

15 - Help raised in allowance for nuclear fallout (9) - RADIATION {RA{DIA<-}TION}

17 - Volunteer force in retreat, big, is free and threatening (2,5) - AT LARGE {AT<-} {LARGE}

18 - Spirit of business head office besieged by everyone (7) - ALCOHOL {AL{CO}{HO}L}

19 - A puzzle for some Spartan grammarians (7) - TANGRAM [T]

21 - A beadle caught slipping into total disorder (7) - DEBACLE {BEADLE+C}*

22 - They are searching — for a marine cause of trouble, by the sound of it (7) - SEEKERS (~sea){SEE}{KERS}(~curse)

23 - Growing underground, it causes the motor to deteriorate (6) - CARROT {CAR}{ROT}

26 - He shuns company but brings unity between sides (5) - LONER {L{ONE}R}

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