updated NEWS and raised version number

to ensure `dev` version is not confused with release v1.9.4

GitOrigin-RevId: 0e4b22ddc9751c496d7bb0077cf5f2a2870bd3c1
Change-Id: I5cc2c91522934e8e9865065a8d1fff845cb9c7ce
1 file changed
tree: 9caa8660b03a23314ae958c213bb899ebb73eb1c
  1. lib/