The Pope had been reached- the dad got a private audience with him. Shortly after that little Alfie obtained Italian citizenship so that he could be transported to the hospital in Rome. The courts, by the reccomendations of the doctors at Alder Hey, would not allow it an instead ordered that his life support be turned off, in which it was, but Alfie continues to live.
For almost 60 hours he was starved and dehydrated, and finally they hooked him back up. They are still holding him hostage. Earlier today his father released a statement that said how much he appreciated the support, and said that he will not be making any other statements. He said some other things as well, but it all seemed very strange as it was not in line with the tone he's been holding all along. The only sense that I can make of it is that a gag order has been issued because they've gained too much global support.