RIYADH — Saudi Arabia has introduced new regulations for awarding building permits to contractors, requiring them first to register with their authorized body in the Kingdom, a report in Al-Eqtisadiah Arabic daily said on Tuesday. The new rules were introduced last week and cover high-rise commercial buildings, hospitals, hotels, mosques, sport facilities, shopping malls, factories and telecommunication towers, the daily said, quoting Thabit Al-Suweid, secretary general of the Saudi Contractors" Authority (SCA). "Contractors seeking government permits for the construction of those facilities must first register with SCA," he said. New rules will be enforced shortly and will cover more types of buildings including residential buildings, health centers, airports, banks and other buildings, he added. Suweid said only around 4,000 contractors are registered with SCA although more than 140,000 construction firms operate in the Kingdom.