Financial Times 18,297 by IO

CINEMA (films) in MEDIN[a] (native quarter, failing to show A)

Double definition

TET (swim?) + RAG (offensive newspaper) is going on RAM (strike)

SINK or SWIM being tetragrams, i.e. 4-letter words. Swimming is one part of a tetrathlon, or tet. My parsing does leave ‘swim’ doing double duty.

[f]IND I A[m] (unsuited)

‘India’ is ‘I’ in the NATO alphabet

(HOSTEL with input from INNER CITY)* (*undergoing redesign)

SLEWING* (*our of control) over R[oad] (surface of)

IN STAR (leading performer)

From the solution to the previous clue (indicated by ellipses), change R (right) to L (left); i.e. ‘switch sides’

with DIE (croak); (SIRE (dad) holds A)

REUSE (recycling) after putting GREEN (area) on CHART (map)

Green Chartreuse is a herbal French liqueur made by monks. Apparently only two monks know the recipe.

AM I (is first person) + GO (shot)

ODD (random) + NUMBER (means to anaesthetise)

EX (one used to love her) + E (energy)

Referring to the river EXE in Devon

S (special) + WEE (little) + (TUNA (fish) + SAT (put))< (<back)

(TO (closer) + [referendu]M (closer to)) (<closer)

‘Mot’ is the French word for ‘word’, hence ‘to Macron’, a famous Frenchman

OTT (too much) for A (one) at D[a]Y (noon, i.e. midDAY)

CHAS (Charles) needs BOWS (weapons) to secure INGRAIN (fast fix)

‘Castles in Spain’ are unrealistic, unattainable ideals, and ‘chasing rainbows’ is to pursue such things

N (navy) + OR (as an alternative) + THE RN (British service, The Royal Navy)

(ME ME (egotist’s twin priorities) include B (book)) + R (reading)

‘Twin’ tells us to double the egotist’s priority; R for reading comes from the British education system’s 3 Rs: reading, writing, arithmetic

(B[lo]OD TRANSFUSIONS; LO (look) out)* (*for intermixing)

WED BETTER (married above oneself) as a Spoonerism

[b]RAIN FREE (drought-affected, on leave B[ahrain’s] (foremost)) + ZE (zone)

I assume the intention is ‘Zero Emissions’ for the zone

Cryptic definition

In Edward Lear’s poem, the owl and the pussycat elope (run away to marry) making them ‘running mates’

A STEP (first part of plan) to access WIPE (dry)

((TO (for) + DOC (medic) + I’M (one’s)); R[adiography] (heading for) to divide) (<up)

“THROWN” (cast, “during recital”)

‘Can’ and ‘throne’ both mean toilet

UN (country club, United Nations) furnished with BAR (taproom) rotating

‘Rotating’, like ‘cycling’, tells us that some of the front letters of the word need to move to the back

TAR< (jack, <to the gods)

I think ‘to the gods’ or ‘from above’ is a backwards indicator; ‘tar’ and ‘jack’ being a sailor