Canada

Mobile ad network AdMob released December figures Thursday, and while our usual caveat that these figures are from only one vendor still stands, they nonetheless highlight some interesting trends. Most notably, AdMob saw a jump in the number of ads it served up to iPod Touch users, which surged from 86 million in November to 292 million in December.

Cambridge, England-based technology VC deals tracker Library House, which went in to administration last month after the venture sector itself dried up, is selling its database to Dow Jones's VentureSource, a larger, similar service. Administrator Leonard Curtis made the sale on December 23, DJ said on Tuesday.

Yesterday, I listened to an interview with Canadian businessman Stephen Jarislowsky. Jarislowsky is one of Canada's richest men, our version of Warren Buffet. And he said something simple but profoundly important in the interview: Greed is strong, but fear is stronger.

Want Conrad Black to write for your publication? He's got plenty of time to oblige -- 6 1/2 years, to be precise. Just don't get too specific about that part.

Video ad provider Overlay.TV has raised another C$4.6 million (US$3.7 million) in a second round funding. The backing comes from returning investors Celtic House Venture Partners, Tech Capital Partners and EdgeStone Capital Partners, who provided the Ottawa, Canada with its C$4.6 million first round back in January.

Tinselvision, an online video-on-demand service targeting South Asian communities in the US, UK and Canada which closed about $6 million in funding last year, has closed down, we have learned and confirmed. The company, based in Washington DC, has one investor: Innovative Entertainment Limited, a Geneva based subsidiary of Innovate Energy Group, and did two round of $3 million each, and boldly claimed that it had a "pre-launch, post-money valuation at nearly $20 million".

-- Gannett swings the big ax, slashing 1,400 jobs this week: Jim Hopkins, the former Gannett (NYSE: GCI) chronicling the company's travails, has had a busy two days tallying the 1,400 jobs that are now gone as of this week at the company's ailing newspapers.

Another senior executive departure from Yahoo (NSDQ: YHOO)—Toby Coppel is leaving after 18 months as EVP and MD for Europe and Canada, Kara reports. Speculation may continue over Yang's successor but a replacement for Coppel was announced at the same time—Rich Riley, now SVP of Yahoo Europe's Advertiser & Publisher Group.

—Time Europe : As part of its big round of layoffs this week, Time Inc. let go of about 20 editorial staff from Time Europe, or nearly two-thirds of the entire U.K.-based team. Editors William Green and James Graff were reportedly part of the group, and Gawker sources say Time Asia is next.

China has settled a dispute that will allow media companies like Thomson Reuters (NASDAQ: TRIN), Bloomberg and Dow Jones to provide financial news and info in the nation on their own terms.