composer self-update error - win 8.1 with XAMPP

When I run the command composer self-update from command line I get the following error:

`[Composer\Downloader\TransportException]
The "http://ift.tt/1pxoJ8t" file could not be downloaded: failed to open stream: a connection attempt failed because the connected party did not properly respond after a period of time or established connection failed because connected host has failed to respond.`

When I ping http://ift.tt/VdA2pg from the command line, I get the response:

Ping request could not find host https://getcomposer.org. Please check the name and try again.

Although I am able to open the URL in my browser.

I am also unable to use composer to install or update packages as I get a similar message. (I downloaded my Laravel installation from LaraPack due to the same issues).

via Chebli Mohamed