UAE officer denies enslaving woman

A United Arab Emirates naval officer denied Tuesday that he forced a Filipino immigrant into unpaid heavy labor while he was studying in Rhode Island. Col. Arif Mohamed Saeed Mohamed Al-Ali testified in federal court in Providence that Elizabeth Cabitla Ballesteros had only one responsibility, taking care of his 4-year-old son, The Providence Journal reported. He said his wife did the cooking and the entire family, including his older children, pitched in on housework. Al-Ali moved to Rhode Island to study at the U.S. Naval War College in Newport. He and his family rented a house in East Greenwich, R.I. Ballesteros testified last week that she worked long hours on both weekdays and weekends and was not paid. She said Al-Ali held her passport. U.S. District Judge Mary Lisi dismissed a charge Tuesday that Al-Ali lied to a Customs and Immigration agent.