As Tropical Depression Bonnie dissipates, Energy giant BP is moving vessels and workers back to the site of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill to plug the firm's blown-out well.

US National Incident Commander Thad Allen said during a conference call with reporters on Saturday that another operation aimed at plugging the well could begin by the end of the coming week, Bloomberg reported.

The oil firm was forced to move most of its ships away from the spill site on July 22 due to the approaching storm.

BP is going to start what is called a "static kill" operation that involves forcing heavy drilling mud into the top of the well cap.

Meanwhile, as the hurricane season is expected to pick up later in the summer, the move of vessels to and from safer waters during a storm could be more difficult.

"We will be playing a cat-and-mouse game for the remainder of the hurricane season," Allen said.

The well has poured millions of barrels of crude into the sea, creating the worst environmental disaster in American history.

More than three months into the Gulf oil disaster, the London-based company has been unable to find an ultimate answer to kill the spill completely.

The oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico started in April after an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig caused the sinking of the facility. Eleven people died in the blast.

Chief Executive of BP Tony Hayward is poised to resign by Tuesday when the announcement of the energy giant's half-year result is released, reports say.

The millionaire CEO, who drew heavy criticism for his mishandling of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill disaster, is set to step down on July 27.

According to the British publication, the Telegraph, after days of detailed negotiations over Hayward's severance package, in which he is likely to be paid a minimum figure of just over a million pounds, his exit from BP seems imminent.

After 3 months of oil from the shattered well spewing into the Gulf, media reports have suggested that the beleaguered boss would quit his job some time in the coming weeks.

BP has said that its CEO "has the support of the board and management" but has refused to comment further.

Three months into the oil spill, the London-based company has finally placed a containment cap over the well, temporarily halting the gushing oil, but has been unable to find an ultimate answer to kill the spill completely.

The oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico started in April after an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon offshore rig caused the sinking of the facility. Eleven people died in the blast.

Major federal investigations show several dozen Pentagon officials and contractors have bought and downloaded child pornography using private or government computers.

On Friday, the Pentagon released investigative reports spanning almost a decade that implicated people working with agencies and handling the United States most closely guarded secrets such as the National Security Agency, the New York Times reported.

A 2007 investigative report said that those who bought child pornography put the Department of Defense, “the military and national security at risk by compromising computer systems, military installations and security clearances.”

Some of them received prison terms of up to about five years and were ordered to pay heavy fines, according to the New York Times.

However, several suspects identified by investigators were never prosecuted, the paper added.

Washington (CNN) -- The House Ethics Committee will hold a formal hearing on alleged violations by Rep. Charles Rangel, the New York Democrat forced to step aside as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee earlier this year over ethics questions.

In a document issued Thursday, the panel appointed an eight-member adjudicatory subcommittee to determine if allegations against Rangel "have been proved by clear and convincing evidence."

A formal hearing will be a trial-like session involving formal charges with lawyers for the House acting as prosecutors and Rangel's lawyers defending him.

There was no immediate information available on the possible charges Rangel faces. According to the ethics committee document, the subcommittee that will hold the formal hearing will have its first organizational meeting on July 29.

In comments to reporters, Rangel said he welcomed the news and wanted to testify in his defense.

"It gives me an opportunity to respond to my friends and constituents who have supported me for 40 years," Rangel said. "All I've been able to give them is 'trust me.' "

Now, he said, the facts will come out. However, Rangel said he has yet to see any formal charges against him.

"Until they go public, I can't go public," Rangel said, later adding: "There is no report. They gave this thing that said the report would be issued" on July 29.

Rangel temporarily stepped down as Ways and Means chairman following the announcement of an ethics investigation of several allegations, including failure to pay taxes on a home in the Dominican Republic

The congressman has also admitted a failure to report several hundred thousand dollars in assets on federal disclosure forms.

In addition, he is under scrutiny for the purported misuse of a rent-controlled apartment for political purposes, as well as for allegedly preserving tax benefits for an oil-drilling company in exchange for donations to a project he supported at the City College of New York.

The House ethics committee previously admonished Rangel for violating rules on receiving gifts. Specifically, the committee found that Rangel violated House gift rules by accepting reimbursement payments for travel to conferences in the Caribbean in 2007 and 2008.

Rangel, who has served 20 consecutive terms in the House, has several challengers in the Democratic primary for the November mid-term congressional election.

He said Thursday that he hoped the matter could be concluded in time for the September primary election.

The adjudicatory subcommittee that will consider Rangel's case comprises four Democrats and four Republicans, according to the ethics committee document.

It said Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-California, is the panel's chairperson.

Other Democratic members are Rep. G.K. Butterfield of North Carolina, Rep. Kelly Castor of Florida and Rep. Peter Welch of Vermont. The four Republicans are Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas, Rep. Mike Conaway of Texas, Rep. Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania and Rep. Gregg Harper of Mississippi.