Financial Times 12,823 – Falcon

Common abbreviations used
dd = double definition
cd = cryptic definition
rev = reversed or reversal
ins = insertion
cha = charade
ha = hidden answer
*(fodder) = anagram

After yesterday’s Monk, this is like an anticlimax althought there are some interesting clues and imaginative play on words. As they say, Monk is a hard act to follow

Across
1,17 CONTROLLING INTEREST I suppose you can call this a dd although strictly one of the functions of the Old Lady of Threadneedle Street is to control interest rates
7 TOP dd
9 PARTY Removal of L (lead of Left) from partly (to some extent)
10 BALALAIKA Bala (Welsh lake) Laika (Scandinavian dog)
11 CHARLATAN charlat (sounds like Charlotte, one of the Bronte sisters) AN
12 PIOUS Ins of I O (one leader in Oman) in PUS (matter) ugh !
13 TODDLER *(red told)
15 SAGE S (son) age (mature)
18 SNAG S (second) NAG (horse)
20 ABSTAIN *(it as ban)
23 VICAR VIC (e) AR (A Rightwing initially)
24 OUT OF LINE Ins of Of (old fellow) in outline (sketch)
26 ARRIVISTE *(rare visit)
27 CREWE Crew (gang) E (last letter of leavE)
28 EVE eve (n)
29 RED CRESCENT Red (Communist or old Russian) Crescent (street)

Down
1 CAPACITY cap (outdo) a city
2 NORMANDY N (name) Ormandy: Eugene Ormandy (1899–1985) was a Hungarian-American conductor and violinist.
3 ROYAL dd
4 LOBSTER L (pound) *(sorbet)
6,5 GALAPAGOS ISLANDS *(as a gang lads spoil) – part of Ecuador’s national park system and famed for their vast number of endemic species and the studies by Charles Darwin during the voyage of the Beagle that contributed to the inception of Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection.
7 TRIPOD trip + OD (rev do, party)
8 PRAISE P (power) Raise (lift)
14 LAND ROVER L (left) A N (a new) Drover (cowherd)
16 BALINESE Ins of LINE (queue) in base (camp)
19 GROUSED G + roused (woken up)
20 ANTBEAR ant (worker) bear (carry)
21 AVIATE ha
22 ACCRUE A C (a cold) *(cure)
25 FACTS F (favourite) Acts of the Apostles