The recent advancements in the field of reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS) and integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) systems have shown significant promise in enhancing wireless communication efficiency and performance. A notable trend is the integration of RIS with various communication paradigms such as beamforming, coded caching, and multiple access schemes, which aim to mitigate interference and improve signal quality. Specifically, the use of RIS in near-field communications has addressed issues like beam split effects and gain loss through innovative beamforming techniques based on Fresnel zones. Additionally, RIS-assisted interference nulling has been proposed to enhance multicast gains in coded caching systems, demonstrating faster convergence and improved degrees of freedom. Another key development is the application of flexible rate-splitting multiple access (RSMA) in near-field ISAC systems, which has shown to significantly reduce estimation errors and enhance system performance. Furthermore, dynamic interference suppression techniques for radar and communication cohabitation have been explored, offering solutions for coexisting networks with different priorities. Memory-based reinforcement learning approaches have also been introduced for optimizing ISAC systems, emphasizing the importance of exploiting channel memory for improved performance. The integration of movable antennas in cell-free massive MIMO systems has shown potential in enhancing spatial diversity and sum-rate performance. Lastly, the development of deep learning-based beamformers for passive acoustic mapping has demonstrated high-quality, real-time imaging capabilities with reduced computational costs.

Noteworthy papers include one that leverages Fresnel zones for near-field RIS beamforming, significantly mitigating beam split effects, and another that introduces a flexible RSMA framework for near-field ISAC, demonstrating substantial performance improvements in distance and angle estimation.