Ukrainian parliament rejects PM's resignation

The Ukrainian parliament Thursday rejected the resignation tendered by Prime Minister Arseny Yatsenyuk last week, the parliamentary press service said.

Yatsenyuk's resignation was backed by only 16 of the 339 deputies present at the 450-seat assembly, Xinhua reported.

The decision means that Yatsenyuk and the current cabinet will continue to fulfil their duties until parliamentary elections, which are expected to be held in October.

Yatsenyuk, a 40-year-old pro-European technocrat, took charge of the Ukrainian cabinet in late February, following the anti-government street rallies which toppled the then president Viktor Yanukovych and the government.

Last week, Yatsenyuk tendered his resignation to protest what he called the "ineffectiveness" of parliament after the collapse of the ruling coalition.