Husbands can beat wives - but not break bones

A husband can beat his wife to discipline her, provided the beatings are not so severe that they damage her bones or deform her body, an appeals court in Dubai has ruled.

But the Dubai Court of Cassation, the highest court in the emirate, also ruled that a wife has the right to demand a divorce if her husband ‘‘injures her, either by word or action,’’ the Gulf News reported.