At issue is a dearth of electrical components and zealous inventory management policies, which industry insiders say will limit supplies of smartphones, MP3 players, game consoles and televisions this holiday season.

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Leviton, the Melville, NY-based manufacturer of lighting management systems, data networking solutions and electrical wiring devices, said it plans to buy Obvius, the energy-management start-up company based in Portland, Oregon.

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Sudhir Trehan, who runs Crompton Greaves, Avantha's electrical equipment-maker, jokes that when he joined as a trainee in 1972, the management would not drink tea unless it were served with white gloves from a silver pot.

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James White, the Harris County, Texas, emergency management coordinator, said that most of the dead had drowned, but that two had died of electrical shock.

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