This is the news from Friday 30 October. Read the latest news
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WordPress 7.1.4 security fixes, Gemini 4 Carbon and Chrome 157
Today in 30 seconds
- WordPress 7.1.4 fixes 12 security flaws, including a code bug
- Google’s Gemini 4 Carbon tops a new AI ranking, but access is limited
- GitHub Copilot Fusion picks the right AI model for each coding step
- Google takes ads in AI Mode outside the US for the first time
- Chrome 157 starts rolling out with HTML-in-canvas and new HTML methods
- Shopify Sidekick now tests store changes on AI shoppers first
- Microsoft Edge opens up to 33% faster on Windows 11
- Nvidia’s free Nemotron 3.5 Transcribe handles 40 languages
- XREAL Aura glasses bring Android XR and Gemini to your face
Good morning. Today starts with a WordPress update you should install before your coffee gets cold. After that, Google shows off its strongest model, GitHub lets Copilot pick its own brain, and Chrome learns to draw HTML on a canvas. Let’s go.
WordPress 7.1.4 fixes 12 security flaws, including a code bug
WordPress released version 7.1.4 on 28 October. It fixes 12 security issues and updates the bundled certificates. One flaw sits in the upgrade process and “can lead to remote code execution during the upgrade window”.
Most of the other fixes close stored cross-site scripting holes in several blocks, the Interactivity API and the Customizer. There is also a denial of service bug and a Customizer information leak. Fixes are being backported to older branches back to 4.7, and they ship as each one is ready. WordPress 7.2 Beta 3 has the same fixes, and 7.2 is planned for 8 December.
Why it matters The WordPress team says to update your sites immediately. Go to Dashboard, then Updates, and click Update Now. Sites with automatic background updates should already have it, but check the version number anyway.
A code execution bug in the updater is the kind of thing I don’t leave until Monday. If you look after several sites, update them all today.
Google’s Gemini 4 Carbon tops a new AI ranking, but access is limited
Google announced Gemini 4 Carbon on 28 October, two weeks after Gemini 4 Argon. It ranks first on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index v5.0 with a score of 59. Google says it improved coding, agent tasks, science and full-stack web development.
For now only a group of cyber defenders can use it. Google says developers, businesses and consumers will get it “as soon as possible”. The starting API price matches Argon at US$2 per million input tokens and US$10 per million output tokens. That later doubles to US$4 and US$20.
Why it matters Carbon jumped 89 points to fourth place on WebDev Arena. Google also says it writes more than twice as much secure code as Argon in its own tests. That is good news for anyone who lets AI write site code.
GitHub Copilot Fusion picks the right AI model for each coding step
GitHub launched Copilot Fusion at GitHub Universe on 28 October, and it is generally available now. Fusion chooses which model handles each part of a coding task. It can also send work up to a stronger model, or have one model check another’s work.
You pick an effort level: Fusion Standard for everyday coding, Fusion High for harder tasks, and Fusion Max for the toughest work. GitHub says Fusion Max scored within two points of Claude Code with Opus 5.5 Max on a coding agent test. It did that at about half the cost per task and in about 40% less time.
Why it matters Choosing between models is a chore, and it changes every few weeks. If Fusion does it well, you spend less on tokens and less time on settings.
Google takes ads in AI Mode outside the US for the first time
Google is expanding ads in AI Mode to international markets, TechCrunch reported on 28 October. It is also bringing multi-turn ads to AI Mode in the US. The news came with Alphabet’s quarterly results, where Search revenue grew 12%, down from 19% in the first quarter.
Google says sponsored product listings in AI Mode already get click rates close to organic listings. AI Mode searches are also about three times longer than normal searches. One in five uses voice, images or documents.
Why it matters Google did not list the new countries, so Australia is not confirmed yet. Either way, AI answers are becoming a paid shelf as well as a free one. Clear product data helps in both places. My guide to how AI search finds your site covers the free side.
Chrome 157 starts rolling out with HTML-in-canvas and new HTML methods
Google started an early stable rollout of Chrome 157 for Windows on 28 October, with Mac to follow. The full stable release is set for 3 November. The release notes list several new tools for web developers.
HTML-in-canvas lets you draw real HTML inside a canvas and keep it in sync with the DOM. New HTML insertion methods can stream markup, and they aim to replace insertAdjacentHTML. CSS gets corner shorthands that set border-radius and corner-shape together, plus text-decoration-inset for underlines.
Why it matters Streaming HTML can make pages appear sooner, which helps speed scores. Corner shorthands mean less CSS for fancy card shapes.
Shopify Sidekick now tests store changes on AI shoppers first
Shopify said on 28 October that Sidekick can now suggest storefront changes and test them before you decide. Sidekick finds a possible improvement, builds a draft of your theme, and compares it with your live store. The comparison uses AI-simulated shoppers.
It only tests theme changes that should affect add-to-cart behaviour. Shopify is clear that these are “not tested on real shoppers and are not live A/B tests”. You review the result and choose whether to apply it.
Why it matters Small stores rarely have the traffic for real A/B tests. This gives you a quick hint before you change anything. I would still watch your real sales for a week or two after any change.
Microsoft Edge opens up to 33% faster on Windows 11
Microsoft said on 29 October that Edge now launches faster on Windows with a feature called Accelerated App Launches. When Edge is already running, Windows talks to it directly. It skips a middle step that used to check whether Edge was open.
Most people get about a 15% faster launch, and up to 33% when the computer is busy. You need Edge 150 or later and Windows 11 25H2, 26H1 or 26H2 with the October 2026 non-security update.
Why it matters It is a small win, but you open your browser dozens of times a day. It also works when you click links in other apps.
Nvidia’s free Nemotron 3.5 Transcribe handles 40 languages
Nvidia released Nemotron 3.5 Transcribe on 28 October. It is a free, open-weight speech-to-text model that works in up to 40 languages. Nvidia says it can also translate 31 languages to and from English.
It handles recordings up to an hour long and can tell apart up to eight speakers. It works on recorded audio, not live streams. You can download it from Hugging Face.
Why it matters You can turn podcasts, videos and meetings into text on your own hardware. That is handy for captions, show notes and searchable pages without paying per minute.
XREAL Aura glasses bring Android XR and Gemini to your face
Google and XREAL launched XREAL Aura on 28 October. Google calls them the first wired XR glasses powered by Android XR. They weigh under 95 grams because the battery and chip sit in a small puck on a cable.
The clear lenses have a 70-degree field of view. Plug in a laptop over USB-C and its screen appears as a window you can resize. Gemini can see what you see and help across apps. Launch pricing starts at US$1,099. Orders opened in the US, Canada and Korea, with Japan from 2 November.
Why it matters A big private screen for a laptop is a real use, not a gimmick. Australia is not on the list yet, so this is one to watch for now.
Quick hits
- Mac Studio with M5 Ultra now goes up to 512GB of RAM, from US$22,299. MacRumors
- Shopify Messaging can now send automatic WhatsApp messages for abandoned carts and checkouts. Shopify
- Shopify admin now checks barcodes against GS1 and suggests marking real ones as GTINs. Shopify
- Cloudflare Workers can now serve static assets under a path like /blog without moving files. Cloudflare
- Bing is testing a scan-to-call QR code in its desktop local results. Search Engine Roundtable
- Reddit adds a For You feed next to Following on its homepage, rolling out over weeks. TechCrunch
- Dedica runs 125 free checks to see if AI agents can use your website. Product Hunt
- Anthropic gives enterprise teams Smart Reports and pooled budgets to track what Claude spending buys. TechCrunch
You're all caught up
That's today's web, tech and SEO news. The next edition lands tomorrow morning, around 3 am Melbourne time.That was the news from Friday 30 October. A newer edition is waiting for you.
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