Mergers & acquisitions

G4S (LSE: GFS) announced that it plans to divest its U.S. government solutions business, which provides security, fire protection, facilities management, training and mine clearance services to U.S. government organizations. In 2012, the unit had revenue of approximately £400 million. www.g4s.com

The Hess Corp. (NYSE: HES) said that it plans to sell off its retail and refining groups. The moves come amid a proxy fight with hedge fund Elliott Management, although Hess insisted the plans were in process before Elliott became involved. For its part, Elliott said that the "announcement is incomplete and it lacks accountability." www.hess.com

Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) has acquired Metrics Hub, a Bellevue, Wash.-based provider of cloud monitoring services for Web applications. No financial terms were disclosed. www.metricshub.com

RWE AG, Germany's second-largest utility company, has put its oil and gas exploration unit on the block. Reuters reports that the sale could generate upwards of €5 billion. www.rwe.com

VMware Inc. (NYSE: VMW) has sold SlideRocket, an SaaS-based online presentation solution, toClearSlide, a San Francisco-based developer of a cloud-based platform for enterprise sales teams. No financial terms were disclosed. VMWare had purchased SlideRocket in 2011. ClearSlide has raised nearly $40 million in VC funding from Bessemer Venture Partners, Felicis Ventures and Greylock Partners. www.clearslide.com

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TranS1 Inc. (Nasdaq: TSON) has agreed to acquire Baxano Inc., a Mountain View, Calif.-based developer of minimally-invasive spinal devices. The deal is valued at approximately $23.6 million (including $550,000 in cash), plus refinancing approximately $3 million of Baxano debt. Baxano had raised over $58 million in VC funding from CMEA Capital, Kaiser Permanente Ventures, Affinity Capital Management, Prospect Venture Partners, Three Arch Partners and Kearny Venture Partners.www.trans1.com