No 9833, Tuesday 04 May 10, Sankalak

Brace for NJ from tomorrow.
ACROSS
1   - In a dark winter, gin cocktail — it is essential for life (8,5) - DRINKING WATER*
9   - Such good weather for an Attlee (7) - CLEMENT [DD]
10 - Listener's protection against noise (7) - EARPLUG [E]
11 - It goes under a patient in the wards built around the east (4-5) - {DRAW SHE{E}T*}
12 - A rare monkey in Bahrain driven away, is (5) - INDRI [T]

13 - …small and pretty but is not found in Benin (6) - DAINTY Anno?(Addendum - D{AINT}Y - Thanks to Kishore)
14 - Lack of vitality is a hindrance to Henry, angry about losing name (8) - {LET}{H}{ARGY(n)*}
17 - A possible cause of deflation (8) - PUNCTURE [CD]
19 - New clues solved by relatives (6) - U{N}CLES*
23 - Come round once more for a new cure? Right (5) - {RECU*}{R}
25 - A Parisian perhaps (9) - FRENCHMAN [E]
26 - A species more hostile, more pungent (7) - {SP}{ICIER}
27 - Live around university with what is left (7) - RESID{U}E
28 - Illness of a Berliner, say, seems a large hoax (6,7) - {GERMAN} {ME{A}S{L}ES*}
DOWN
1   - Unmistakeable action traps detectives (7) - DE{CID}ED
2   - Repetition that everyone avoided in “sing a song of sixpence'', for example (9) - (all)ITERATION
3   - Where bills may be passed in Israel (7) - KNESSET [E]
4   - Intensive chat involving singer King Cole and Terence cut short (6) - {NAT}{TER(ence)}
5   - Dara Singh was one (8) - WRESTLER [CD]
6   - A lake is hard to spoil (7) - {TARN}{IS}{H}

7   - What a king might have done with this kind of paper (5) - RULED [DD]
8   - Something to stand on if one would like to demand respect (7) - DIGNITY [CD]
15 - Part played by one on catwalk, one worthy of imitating (4,5) - {ROLE} {MODEL}
16 - Kind of invoice sent by Royal Mail, a proof spelt out (3,5) - {PRO FO*}{RM}{A}
17 - Umbrella for a special trooper, big star (7) - {PARA}{SOL}

18 - Dog, one that perseveres to hide hesitation (7) - T{ER}RIER

20 - Capital for casino, I suspect (7) - NICOSIA*
21 - Poems portraying boy with reversed gun (7) - {SON}{NETS<-} )
22 - Migraine that makes setter gloomy (6) - {ME}{GRIM}
24 - Clutch a cold fish (5) - {C}{LING}

GRID

No 9382, Monday 03 May 10,Sankalak

ACROSS
1   - Disjointed nonsense is swallowed by agent (7) - {S{CRAP}PY}
5   - A kiss for a dollar! (7) - SMACKER [DD]
10 - Rope that was her undoing (6) - HAWSER*
11 - It can heat a room but cool an engine (8) - RADIATOR [E]

12 - Pay no attention to one blood-soaked knight (6) - {I}{G{N}ORE}
13 - New moon, light weight, seen in design on clothes (8) - {MONO*}{GRAM}
14 - Burke or Hillary (6) - EDMUND [DD]
15 - Successfully complete clearing taint after initiation of arraignment (6) - {A}{TTAIN*}
18 - Containing nitrogen (6) - NITRIC [E]
20 - French lady gets me across a weir (6) - {M{A}{DAM}E}
23 - Exercise control, take a break before fall (8) - {REST}{RAIN}
25 - Place in society given by sculpture-a change at last! (6) - STATU(-e+s)S
26 - A worm in a position of leadership? Thin joke! (8) - {HELM}{INTH*}
27 - Aromatic stuff from a part of the sea, a spirit (3,3) - {BAY} {RUM}
28 - Lacking creativity but clean enough for surgery (7) - STERILE [DD]
29 - Mr. German at home with good fish (7) - {HERR}{IN}{G}

DOWN
2   - Switch coins (6) - CHANGE [DD]
3   - The cops maybe looking for him (9) - ABSCONDER [CD]
4   - An upstart hit back with Gopal's flute (7) - {PAR<-}{VENU} Never knew VENU meant flute
6   - Famous singer crazy about North America (7) - {MAD}{ON}{NA}
7   - Loud noise made by leaders in class lustily announcing new guidelines (5) - {C}{L}{A}{N}{G}
8   - Intense love of oneself with image on a roll (8) - EGOMANIA*
9   - A liqueur that Met-men cheered wildly (5,2,6) - CREME DE MENTHE*
16 - Twain's adventurous hero (3,6) - TOM SAWYER [CD]
17 - Hope for a drowning man (8) - LIFEBELT [E] Not for a woman?
19 - One of many for the viewers' entertainment on TV (7) - CHANNEL [CD]
21 - Bad lies that could somehow incapacitate one (7) - DISABLE*
22 - The season of decline in America? (6) - AUTUMN [CD]
24 - Is it right to leave out ‘uprising' in an island? (5) - {TIMO<-}{R}

GRID