Lower petroleum prices took a big toll on Royal Dutch Shell in the third quarter. The company reported a loss of $7.4 billion, compared with a profit of $4.5 billion in the quarter a year earlier. Adjusted for inventory changes and one-time items — a more closely watched measurement — earnings fell 70 percent to $1.8 billion. The company took about $7.9 billion in write-offs for its recently halted exploration venture off Alaska, a canceled heavy- oil project in Canada and other operations. The financial results for the company, based in The Hague, come as the oil industry is grappling […]