Crosswords

ACROSS

1 Assad ran a fluent broadcast, causing rift in USA (3,7,5) 9 Song left for JFK, perhaps (7) 10 On the house is a revolting plant (7) 11 Very old man swallows drug (4) 12 QC's junior was in retreat (5) 13 Government intervening in public transport problems (4) 16 Run away from Church – cardinal does (7) 17 Dirt caught in shoe (7) 18 One Direction's about to model briefs (7) 21 Prepare leg for attack (3,4) 23 Hard Scotsman's not in for a laugh (4) 24 Plant juice seen in recent times (5) 25 Captain Caveman, at heart, is American (4) 28 Famous rapper not finishing books (7) 29 Without a navy, one must back disturbance at sea (7) 30 No axe-cut yet, if so ordered (4,2,9)

DOWN

1 Reserve rugby player injured his head (15) 2 Broadsheet arrangements holding up report (7) 3 Gas produced by one repeating endlessly (4) 4 Right furry creatures, pigs (7) 5 A fellow, even small, matters (7) 6 Fuel bill down, briefly (4) 7 Report by peacekeepers is no good (7) 8 Grafting individual leaves school, joining small farm (15) 14 Nick promised to get around for whisky (5) 15 Players take English class (5) 19 Hitler's back, besieging one state or another (7) 20 Surprise bottom-lift for young actress (7) 21 Respect's out of place for spook (7) 22 One shot piercing detective's tongue (7) 26 Monarch filling in cross or nought (4) 27 Expert in understanding Uruguay (4)